Curiouser and Curiouser With You
by Loyal Subject
Summary: Time has passed and Alice is now fifteen years of age. Still traveling to Wonderland whenever she pleases, Alice begins to wonder if it is best she leaves Wonderland behind forever. Alice x Hatter
1. We All Must Grow Up

_All right so this is my new fanfiction. The title comes from a famous line in the book (in case you didn't know) and yes, I will be spilling random facts at points because I've been obsessing over Alice for months. I plan on bringing many different characters from both books aside from the more famous characters. For the record, this chapter took a long time to write and with school starting up again soon, don't expect these chapters to come quickly. I already have the story down, it's just the diction that is taking me forever. But anyway, enjoy. Reviews are greatly appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged!  
_**

* * *

**

**Curiouser and Curiouser With You**

**We All Must Grow Up**

Alice rested her chin upon her hand as she stared absentmindedly out the window with her immense, blue eyes. Her fair-hair fell softly against her shoulders, resting along the lavender dress she wore. Snowflakes were lightly drifting past for a brief hello before they calmly went to sleep upon the ground with their other brothers and sisters. Alice sighed as she wondered if it ever snowed in Wonderland. How she would love to play in the snow with her friends only to return indoors a few minutes later for a nice warm cup of tea.

"Alice, pay attention!" Alice's sister, Lorina, chastised. As though a spell had been recanted, Alice drew her attention away from the window and towards her sister, her hands now at her side. Lorina frowned down upon her sister as her hands rested against an open book that lay in her lap. Alice smiled sheepishly. The cold, stern look would not lift from Lorina's face.

"Oh but this lesson _is _rather boring!" Alice finally exclaimed, feeling as though she simply must defend her actions. Her excuse, however, failed to alter the expression that was still upon her sister's face.

"Boring or not, you still must learn this," Lorina replied as coolly as possible, closing her eyes for a brief moment to hide her blue eyes only to have them reappear shortly after. Her hands lightly traced the rim of her deep red dress only to come in to contact with the book that was still open to page one hundred thirty-five.

"I do not see Edith having to learn this rubbish," Alice promptly retorted.

"It is difficult enough to teach one _child_ at a time especially after the Governess'...departure," Lorina remarked, faltering slightly as she attempted to find a proper euphemism for the situation.

"I do believe the better term is 'quit' dear sister," Alice corrected, smiling innocently. However, Lorina quickly uncovered the devilish grin that lay hidden behind Alice's smile.

"No. The best way to put it is 'after you scared the Governess away with your crazy childish fantasies'!" Lorina could not help but to snap back at her sister. The smile faded from Alice's face as she looked rather guiltily down at her lap.

"I merely told her stories of Wonderland..." Alice's voice trailed off as she attempted to sincerely explain herself. Of course, she never really was able to understand what had been the problem with conversing about Wonderland in the first place. Lorina bit her lip as she pushed a loose piece of her light brown hair back behind her ear while the rest lay nestled up in a bun as she stared down at her sister: a slight pang of guilt consuming her.

"And that type of behavior is perfectly acceptable for a seven-year-old. _Not_ a young lady of fifteen," Lorina replied gently.

"Well, I cannot help it if I still visit the good people of Wonderland."

"Alice..." Lorina began as she attempted to approach the matter of Wonderland delicately.

"Why just the other day I was having a rather interesting conversation with Hatter. I was explaining to him how I broke the sole of my shoe and he replied 'why what on Earth was your _soul_ doing down there?'" Alice began to travel along a tangent as she recalled the memory, laughing as recalled the Hatter's confusion. "He then spent the rest of the time inquiring as to why I was still alive if my soul was broken. Imagine that."

"Imagine that," Lorina repeated as she herself began to smile, laughing at the story. Upon realizing that she was being sucked into Alice's game, she quickly composed herself. "Oh Alice!" she responded in frustration. "You silly thing!"

"I'm merely telling you what happened," Alice replied, rather confused.

"That is quite enough," Lorina stated sternly. Upon seeing Alice's still confused expression, Lorina sighed. "Oh Alice, I really wish you would grow up soon."

"Oh but I am grown up," Alice responded promptly. Lorina smiled slightly at her sister's naivety.

"Adults do not prattle about stories of a mad hatter, white rabbit and a caterpillar."

"Oh but he isn't-"

"It is all nonsense, Alice," Lorina interjected sternly before Alice had another word about her imaginary world that was freely roaming around her mind. "...have you ever thought that perhaps the reason why you have so few friends is due to the nonsensical stories you create for your amusement?" It pained Lorina to bring up such a subject but she was at the end of her rope with convincing this poor child the difference between reality and fantasy.

"Why is it that no one believes me about Wonderland?" Alice inquired, a slight irritation filling her voice as she recalled moments in which she attempted to speak of Wonderland in front of other children her age. At first, they had all rather enjoyed the little adventures of Wonderland, even claiming that they themselves had been there on occasions. However, as age began to prowl upon them, slowly they began to no longer believe in the magic of Wonderland and found Alice a rather nuisance whenever she brought it up. "It was merely a child's game we used to play Alice, it isn't real," they would say or something of that nature leaving Alice alone in her childish dreams.

"Because Wonderland does not exist," Lorina replied more gently. Alice frowned at this reply, once more resting her chin in the palm of her hand as she stared gloomily out the window. She never liked it very much when the conversation of Wonderland reached this stage for she knew Wonderland existed. There was not a doubt in her mind though it was rather strange that no one would take the time to believe her on such things. Once again she focused her attention out the window in hopes of allowing her mind to travel away from the pessimistic thoughts that were beginning to consume her. While Alice's day dreams drifted to a Wonderland covered in snow, Lorina sighed as she attempted to conjure a different method of approach to Alice's predicament with facing reality. Lorina mentally referred to the psychology books she had been reading lately (all due to solving the crisis Alice's mythical world had caused) in hopes that something may just be useful. It was then that the thought occurred to her that followed the frequent phrase "if you cannot beat them, join them". "You know Alice, the reason why your friends may no longer believe you about Wonderland is because they've left it behind."

"What do you mean?" Alice inquired, her attention once again focusing on her sister.

"Well perhaps they have all decided to leave Wonderland behind permanently," Lorina offered.

"Why on Earth would anyone want to leave Wonderland?" Alice wondered aloud.

"They may have done so because their parents have taught them to let go of Wonderland as a part of growing up. If you mention that you still visit there often, it may upset them as they recall their own little adventures in Wonderland. So they simply deny ever being there. Do you understand Alice?"

"I believe so..." Alice trailed off as she attempted to understand the situation her sister was proposing, completely forgetting the previous conversation. If she were forced to leave Wonderland forever, she certainly would not want other children prancing about with their own stories of Wonderland. Surely, she would miss it too much! And to think she had done this on numerous occasions to her dear friends. How dreadful! No wonder her friends never enjoyed Alice's talk of Wonderland.

"You know, Alice, everyone at one point must leave Wonderland. It isn't just your friends that have had to leave it behind," Lorina added as gently as possible.

"When?" Alice immediately queried, slightly alarmed. She certainly was not ready to leave such a magnificent place as Wonderland. Lorina was about to give a reasonable date in which perhaps Alice would finally be rid of Wonderland. However, the fearful look present in her sister's eyes provided Lorina with a rather sudden change of heart. After all, was it really so terrible to wish to remain in a childhood dream for as long as possible? Lorina pondered this for a moment as her own fantasy worlds resurfaced: places she had not visited for a very long time.

"When you're ready," Lorina finally stated. "When you're ready to grow up." Alice gave a puzzling expression. Had she not just told her sister that she was grown up? Before she began to protest the matter her sister ended the conversation with, "Well, it appears our lesson for the day has been concluded. Perhaps you may play with Edith for a while before afternoon tea."

However, while the two were parting their separate ways, Alice was deciding _not_ to play with little Edith today. She was much too grown up for such silly games. If there was anything that still remained from her childhood days, it was her ability to quickly allow dismissive comments to fill her head.

"Why, can you imagine, Dinah?" Alice said aloud as her cat came into view as if to greet her. She had no knowledge as to where Snowdrop or Kitty was and it was most likely Dinah no longer cared either. Dinah was a rather old cat compared to the playfully little thing she used to be, spending most of her days sleeping in various places of the house. Alice's cat looked upon her master, as though clearly listening to Alice's chatter. "In order to become an adult, I must leave Wonderland! Of all the preposterous things! Well, if that is the case, then I shall never grow up," Alice continued as Lorina's words quickly twisted. Alice scooped Dinah in her arms, simply not caring that this would cover her dress with cat hair. She stroked the top of Dinah's head as she continued down the hall.

The dark sky gleamed through a nearby window with snow continuing to fall down gracefully. Alice placed Dinah lightly on the soft rug below her feet before seating herself on the pouffe that lay by the window. She stared for a brief moment out the window, sighing.

"Oh course...I would like to grow up with everyone else my age," Alice remarked quietly. Dinah slowly rolled along the carpet, allowing her belly to become exposed. A small noise that was not exactly a meow rustled through her throat, indicating she wished for Alice's attention. Looking down, Alice smiled and moved from the pouffe to the rug where she lightly rubbed her cat's belly. A low purr began to stir within Dinah's throat.

As she pet Dinah lightly, Alice's eyes traveled along the walls of the hall. Various portraits hung about, most of which she had completely forgotten ever existed. A photograph of her dressed up as a beggar-maid hung not too far from her current position. She was most likely around the age of six or seven when this photograph had been taken. The little Alice in the photograph looked so much different than the one who was now sitting on the rug.

"Perhaps...I should grow up," Alice thought to herself as she stared intently at the photograph. After all, she would enjoy having her old friends once more though she positively distasted the idea of leaving Wonderland behind forever. Still, the longer she remained tied to such a place, the more difficult it would be to leave. The idea of never growing up, Alice concluded, was a silly one: of course she must grow up and she might as well do it now and be done with the matter.

Of course, these types of thoughts were perfectly normal for Alice. Her thoughts constantly changed as the day progressed. One moment she could be thinking of the loveliest of thoughts of flowers and sweets only to quickly transfer to bitter thoughts of parasites and dust bunnies. These dust bunnies would no doubt become interesting creatures within another few minutes mind you. However, what was strange was Alice's thoughts remained on the same issue for quite some time. Throughout the rest of afternoon (and very well into evening) she constantly switched back and forth as to whether or not it truly was time to grow up.

"But of course it is, dear Alice! Why, how strange to think you shall stay in Wonderland forever!" she would reprimand herself only to be suppressed by thoughts of never being able to visit Hatter or the March Hare or the Cheshire Cat or even the Queen of Hearts. She had made so many wonderful friends, it would be rather sad for her to leave them behind forever. "Well, if I do decide to grow up, I shall have to find a way to leave Wonderland so I shan't be able to return. Otherwise, I will no doubt attempt to visit them again," she reasoned.

Alice was now in her nightgown, still pondering whether or not to follow through with the little scheme she had conjured. She delicately lifted the covers of her bed before lying down to sleep and dream the most unusual dreams. Resting her head on the pillow, Alice kept her eyes open as she stared forward. There were still a few dolls arranged neatly around her room including a stuffed rabbit with button eyes. It stared blankly at her, not offering any sort of hint as to what she should do. Her breathing was becoming softer as she continued to stare at the little friend. Who had given her that rabbit anyway? If she simply could not remember its significance then was there even a point of keeping it? She wondered if grownups ever kept such childish toys out of sentimental value. Then again, that particular rabbit may not even hold any such value whatsoever. If only she could remember who had given it to her. Alice's eyes gradually began to fall as she attempted to remember where she had attained the rabbit in the first place.

Eyes only closed for a brief moment, Alice's room came into view once more. Without even thinking, Alice removed the covers that were now keeping her warm from the winter air. Swiftly, she placed her bare feet on the floor and it felt as though ice had just attacked her poor feet. Alice fiddled for slippers with her feet as they frantically searched for warmth. Once they had accomplished their mission, Alice rose from her bed and walked over to her little rabbit friend. Gracefully, she picked the creature up with the upmost care. She stared into its eyes one last time.

"Don't you see little rabbit? If I don't leave Wonderland now...I'll never be able to," she said softly. Although she was tired, Alice still knew deep down that she had grown much too attached to the Wonderland she loved. It was best to leave it behind now before she and Wonderland would become inseparable in which case she had no hope of growing up and growing older was something she wanted very much.

Quietly, Alice tip toed down the halls of her home with the stuffed rabbit cradled in one arm as she held a candle with her other hand. It was rather dark though this was to be expected due to the season. She only hoped no one would see her small light that guided the way towards her gateway to Wonderland. Although she had a candle, it was still rather difficult to see and, to her great disappointment, this meant she would be unable to enjoy some of the decorations that filled the house. At the same time, she hoped she did not trip on something only to cause a ruckus that would wake everyone.

At last, Alice reached the door she had been looking for. She held her breath as she pulled the handle as gently as possible. It creaked ever so slightly, causing Alice to jump a bit for fear of waking anyone. She paused for a moment, straining her ears as she listened to see if anyone had heard the door open. After a moment of silence, Alice quietly stepped inside the room. She could vaguely witness the silhouettes of the furniture that filled the room. Alice avoided a chair and small table as she made her way to what she had come in there for: the looking glass.

Alice placed her light source upon a nearby ledge. For a moment, she stared at her own reflection in the looking glass, already beginning to regret her decision. However, she found herself quickly shaking her head at these thoughts. She then looked down at the small rabbit she had brought with her.

"Come friend, let's go to Wonderland...one last time," Alice said to the little rabbit as she smiled weakly. Without hesitation, Alice placed a hand through the looking glass in order to make sure the portal was working properly (for it would be most dreadful if she attempted to place her entire body through the glass only to smash against it). Once she knew it was possible to travel through the looking glass safely, Alice placed her entire body through it as she began her adventure in Wonderland for the very last time.

* * *

_Lorina and Edith were Alice Liddell's sisters (of course, she had more siblings but the three were the greatest inspirations on Lewis Carroll). _

_There is a famous photograph that Dodgson took of Alice as a beggar-maid. _

_Snowdrop and Kitty are from Through the Looking Glass. _

_That's all my annoying facts for now. =D  
_


	2. Unusual Company

_I actually ended up finishing this sooner than expected. Thank you all for your reviews! It is because of you that I was able to write this chapter so quickly. So keep them coming haha. Once again, constructive criticism is encouraged and most of all enjoy this chapter! It's a long one (well long by my standards anyway).

* * *

_

**Unusual Company**

Once Alice's face had passed through the looking glass, a small room came into view. Two chairs were lying on their sides while a small table located in the center of the room had its legs sticking up towards the ceiling to face an assortment of paintings. How the paintings remained on the ceiling, Alice had no clue. As the rest of her body began to pass through to the unusual room, more curious features began to become apparent. Doors of different sizes hung along the walls as though they were on display for all to see. Alice guessed these were the doors that had once been placed throughout the house in between rooms. The clocks on the mantel piece (the only thing that was right side up) all contained a different time.

It did not take Alice very long to conclude that she had been transported to the Hatter's household despite the fact it had changed slightly since the last time she ended up passing through his looking glass. Transporting to Wonderland was always an unpredictable affair. Since she simply could not afford to travel down the rabbit hole each time she wished to visit Wonderland (especially in winter), Alice would have to use the looking glass. However, there were looking glasses scattered about all over Wonderland therefore each time she entered the mystical world, there was no way of determining _which_ looking glass she would be passing through. Alice could never recall an instance in which she arrived through the same looking glass twice in a row. Of course, the only way to get back to her own world was through a looking glass (for it was silly to think she could go _up_ a rabbit hole). Luckily for her, she usually returned to the looking glass she had just utilized to arrive in Wonderland though there was one instance in which she had ultimately found herself in her parent's bedroom. But that is for another time.

Upon entering the Hatter's household, Alice's eyes traveled down to notice her clothes had transformed from her white nightgown to a blue dress with a white apron. She took the time to notice she had also gained a pair of white stockings as well as small black shoes. Her hair contained a black ribbon tucked neatly under her hair. The dress passed just a bit passed her knees and for a moment, it reminded her of the outfits she used to wear as a child.

"Rather ironic if I do say so myself," Alice murmured to herself. She took a moment to briefly glance down at the little rabbit she had brought before setting it down upon the ground. Silently, Alice walked over towards the chairs and turned them right side up. "It simply won't do to have chairs on their sides when company is over," she reasoned. "How does he expect people to sit comfortably sideways?" Once the chairs had been set in order, Alice turned the table over so that it was once again right side up. She stepped back a few steps to marvel her handy work. "Much better," she stated confidently though her expression changed when she noticed the paintings and doors hanging everywhere. "This is the best I can do," she reasoned to herself.

Alice gently picked up her small little friend and began to make her way to the garden where it was no doubt tea time: as it always seemed to be for Hatter. The hall that led to the backdoor (probably the only door that was still in its proper place) was just as curious as the room she had entered. Tea pots and cups were nailed to the walls by using the enclosed area the handles provided. Of course, whoever had nailed these trinkets to the wall (no doubt Hatter himself) did not do a very decent job for cups and tea pots had clearly fallen from their position. This was most likely do to the fact the Hatter failed to hammer the nails in properly. Either way, broken china glass was all over the floor.

"Someone could quite easily get injured," Alice spoke aloud as she avoided the glass. Why the Hatter would want to nail such items to a wall Alice had no clue. Then again, who would attach doors to the wall as well? "He really is, truly mad I do declare." Alice reached the end of the hall and twisted the doorknob, slightly hesitant. There was no telling what was in store for her.

Upon opening the door, a warm sunlight tickled Alice's face. Looking out, she could see the weather was absolutely beautiful. The sky was as clear as could be, the grass grew tall: the greenest grass she had ever laid her eyes on (clearly, winter was no where near approaching in Wonderland). In order to make this a perfect scene, birds would have to be fluttering by, singing a lovely tune. However, there were no birds fluttering by at this particular incident. They were intelligent enough to know not to fly near the tea party or the unusually long table that lay a few yards in front of Alice.

The three usual guests were too busy partaking in various activities to notice Alice right away. The Dormouse was fast asleep; his head resting on a plate that was most likely dirty with some sort of sweet. He appeared to be sleeping rather comfortably on the side of the table away from Alice, closer to the head of the table which lay on Alice's left. The March Hare was spreading some jam on a piece of toast. He sat in the seat directly next to the head of the table. Alice took a moment to wonder if both her world and Wonderland still shared the same month even though they clearly did not share the same season for she would feel rather uncomfortable (not to mention unprepared) if it was March in Wonderland. She concluded that it could not possibly be March due to the March Hare's calm behavior. Since normally a hare would be sleeping for the winter (or in the Hare's case, acting calm and civilized), the month must still be the same (or so Alice told herself).

Hatter sat at the head of the table. He was gazing confusingly at his pocket watch and Alice guessed he must have either been wondering why his watch possessed the wrong time or double checking to make sure he had not murdered time again. No matter how many times Alice told him, Hatter was still convinced he had murdered Time even though he could not explain how Time was revived. After so many conversations on the subject, Alice ultimately decided never to bring it up again.

The Hatter must have seen Alice out of the corner of his eye for in a few moments his gaze was shifting towards her direction. A wide grin immediately began to spread across his face: nearly as large as the Cheshire Cat's grin.

"Alice!" Hatter exclaimed as he nearly tumbled over his chair as he attempted to rise from his seat. Alice couldn't help but to giggle slightly at this. Of course, she covered such a slip up rather quickly, not wanting to hurt Hatter's feelings. The March Hare's eyes shifted towards the Hatter's direction then transferred towards Alice.

"Just in time for tea!" the March Hare exclaimed, his hand swooshing through the air with the knife still in his hand to complete the spreading of his jam. The Dormouse awoke for a brief moment to wonder what the entire hubbub was about. His eyes barely open, the Dormouse groggily looked towards Alice.

"When is she never on time for tea?" he remarked. The March Hare glared slightly towards the Dormouse though the Dormouse was already fast asleep again, unable to see the cold stare. It wasn't like he cared anyway.

As Alice attempted to curtsy towards the March Hare and the Dormouse, Hatter threw his arms around her, nearly knocking her to the ground. Alice was slightly startled by this gesture: although it was not uncommon for Hatter to act _unusual _(which included hugs here and there), she did not know him to hug her so tightly.

"Alice, I am very glad to see you! I thought you might have permanently ended your soul and that would be most dreadful. I hope you've learned your lesson to keep your soul where it belongs," he said as he squeezed her tighter.

" 'Thought'? He wouldn't shut up about it!" the March Hare exclaimed, recalling the rather annoying day of having to hear Hatter over and over about the incident (for he was not present during this particular episode).

"That's very kind of you to worry about me but I'm perfectly fine...including my soul," Alice replied, wishing the Hatter would let go of his tight grip. She gently placed her hands on his arms to signal that if he squeezed her any tighter she would be unable to breathe.

"Oh," Hatter remarked as he came to the realization. Instantly, he loosened his grip around Alice, setting her free. Alice gave a small nod, thanking him. It was then that she was able to scrutinize him to the fullest. His slightly short, black hair was a tad messy though this did not particularly bother Alice seeing as it was most likely due to the enormous top hat he wore. He wore a dark blue frock coat in order to match his hat along with black pants. His shirt was a shade of lilac with an unusual swirl pattern in a lavender color surrounding it. This particular design matched the brim of his hat (along with the lilac color). As always, a card reading "In this style 10/6" was tucked behind the brim. After wearing it for so long, Hatter simply refused to part with it and kept this hat for himself. Of course, he had clearly forgotten to take the card out.

"Your clothes barely match," Alice remarked as she continued to scrutinize his clothes. Sometimes she wondered what went through his head. Then again, perhaps it was best not to know at times.

"I said the same thing," the March Hare insisted. However, he was no better dressed than the Hatter. His frock coat was a bright orange with green pants. On the top of his head stood a straw hat (or, at the very least, what looked to be a straw hat for by now there were only a few pieces of straw left on the top of his head).

"You are all dressed rather oddly," the Dormouse announced in his sleep.

"Who asked you?" the March Hare replied bitterly as he merely wished to be a part of the conversation.

Hatter became slightly embarrassed upon hearing Alice's remark. However, before he had the chance to defend himself, Alice noticed something else rather odd about the way he was dressed.

"Your buttons are not in their proper slits," Alice stated as she realized one button was missing a slit and another slit was missing a button. Before Hatter could protest, Alice began to undo his frock coat, placing the buttons in their rightful place (having her rabbit nestled under her arm). As she did this, Hatter reminded Alice of a child who clearly had no proper understanding of the world. And Lorina had called _her_ a child! She only wished Lorina could see the Hatter now and then perhaps she would think otherwise of Alice. "Well, she _will_ think otherwise once I get back," Alice thought as she just finished placing the last button in its proper slit. "You're as mad as ever," Alice commented to Hatter.

"But I am getting better, aren't I?" Hatter inquired hopefully.

"Well, it's certainly better than saying 'your hair wants cutting'," Alice teased as she recalled the very first thing Hatter had said to her. He had been most definitely mad then. Now, he was mad in a different way. Over the years she had managed to teach him a few manners along with the March Hare (who was now a complete lunatic in March only) and the Dormouse (though the Dormouse never really put these manners into practice, seeing as how he was almost always asleep).

Hatter's face turned a shade of red at her comment.

"You... remember that?" he said, laughing nervously as he scratched the side of his head.

"It's a little hard to forget..." Alice responded frankly.

The March Hare began to chuckle from his seat. He tried to cover this by taking a sip of tea though that obviously did not go very well and instead he nearly sent the tea all over the table. The Dormouse was once again sleeping though a small smile curled from his lips. Hatter quickly regained himself once he heard the March Hare's commentary on the conversation and bowed politely as he motioned towards the table.

"Would you be so kind as to join us for some tea?" Hatter inquired. Alice beamed at the formality and politely returned the favor with a curtsey.

"I would love to," she responded. Hatter led her towards the table, pulling a chair out that was directly to the right of the head of the table. Alice graciously sat down as the Hatter once again sat in his own seat. Alice was sitting in a basic, wooden chair that most likely came from the kitchen. There were four other chairs like this situated neatly next to one another. Across from her, the March Hare and the Dormouse sat in chairs that resembled the ones she had spotted in the looking glass room. Hatter sat in a comfortable mahogany-colored cushioned arm chair. Alice looked down at the table, which was covered with a pink tablecloth, to find an extravagant assortment of porcelain. "I assume these are all clean?" Alice remarked as she recalled a time when the three would move around the table, leaving the dirty china, until they had come full circle. Once they had come full circle, they would simply throw the china away and start anew the next morning. That was a time when Alice never joined the tea parties for very long.

"Are you mad?" Hatter inquired immediately upon Alice's remark. "These have been washed thoroughly." Alice chuckled slightly at this response. It was rather silly of her to ask such a question when she already knew the answer.

"I guess I am."

However, Hatter did not hear Alice's response. He stared curiously at the stuffed rabbit that was now lying in her lap.

"Oh, how terribly rude of me! I didn't know you had brought a guest with you Alice!" Hatter exclaimed. Alice presented a confused expression before she finally understood what he was referring to.

"Offer the man a seat, confound it! What sort of host are you?" the March Hare intervened. A rabbit deserved his own seat-the March Hare would know such a thing.

"He seems rather comfortable in Alice's lap," the Dormouse said with his eyes still closed. A small pile of drool was beginning to form on the plate he was resting on.

"Oh but he isn't-" Alice began as she attempted to explain that the stuffed rabbit was not among the living.

"Of course, allow me!" Hatter exclaimed as he reached over towards the rabbit, picked him up, and placed him gently in the seat next to Alice as a hint of jealously (thanks to the Dormouse's comment) crept over him.

The rabbit sat silently, staring forward towards the Dormouse.

"Well, a simple 'thank-you' would do," Hatter remarked as he sat calmly in his seat once more. Alice was about to comment on how it was very rude to reach over someone but ultimately decided against it as she noticed everyone was staring intently at her "guest".

"Perhaps he's the shy type," the March Hare offered.

"May I get you anything..." Hatter began, only to fumble towards the end of his speech, "oh dear, how very rude of me. I don't believe I know your name."

Once again, there was utter silence from the stuffed rabbit with button eyes.

"He clearly doesn't like you," the March Hare stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "Come now lad, don't be shy!" Alice placed a hand on her forehead as she shook her head at the pitiful site she was now witnessing. "There! See, his name is Milo."

"How do you know?" Hatter demanded.

"It's a leporids thing, you couldn't possibly understand," the March Hare insisted. "Don't just sit there, poor this pour creature some tea!"

As the Hatter was about to do as instructed so rudely by the March Hare, Alice placed a hand up, indicating Hatter to cease his current action.

"I'll take care of it," Alice remarked, not wanting him to reach over her again. Gracefully, Alice acquired one of the teapots and proceeded to pour Milo's cup. "Hatter, why are all your doors hanging on the walls of your retiring room?" Alice inquired as she continued to pour the tea.

"Well...you see, I accidentally misplaced a majority of my keys and most of the doors were locked so I had no choice but to take off the doors," Hatter explained.

"Have you no skeleton key?" Alice inquired.

"I cannot believe you would even suggest I have skeletons in my home!" Hatter exclaimed, slightly offended by her remark. Alice did not even bother to explain what she had meant but merely bestowed an apologetic look. "Either way, until I am able to locate my missing keys, I have chosen to hang the doors on the wall for safe keeping."

"And why do you have tea cups and tea pots hanging on your wall?" Alice further questioned.

"Why, for display of course! Some of those happen to be very rare pieces I have collected."

"Perhaps you should think about putting them in a more stable position..." Alice suggested, her voice trailing off as she recalled most of the rare items had met their end at the bottom of the floor.

"Perhaps," was all Hatter said though Alice knew very well that judging from his tone, he was planning no such thing.

"So Alice, what have you been up to lately? We haven't seen you in nearly two days," the March Hare suddenly inquired.

"Well, I was busy studying," Alice answered. It was then that she remembered why she had visited Wonderland in the first place. How she could easily be distracted in a place like this! This was just proof that she was becoming much too attached to Wonderland.

"What sort of things did you study?" Hatter continued to inquire.

"Hmm?" was all Alice said to the question as her mind was traveling elsewhere. She would have to break it to the three rather gently that she was leaving Wonderland forever. After all, she simply could not depart Wonderland without telling them, could she? Not to mention, she would rather have Hatter help her find a way to leave Wonderland forever instead of one of the queens who would be her best choice since the Cheshire Cat always appeared at random and she had no clue as to where the Caterpillar was.

"He asked about your studies. What sort of things are you taught?" the March Hare stated, now wanting to know the answer to Hatter's question.

"Oh well...my sister teaches me math and literature and science and... all sorts of topics for when I grow up," she said, weaving to the topic of her choice.

"When will you grow up?" the March Hare asked, falling for Alice's little trap.

"What happens if you grow down?" Hatter inquired.

"You can't possibly grow _down _you silly twit," the March Hare snapped.

"Of course you can! Have you not eaten a mushroom?" Hatter retorted rather viciously, nearly scaring the Dormouse awake.

"I'm growing up quite soon," Alice interjected, speaking rather loudly so the two would hear. The two immediately ceased their bickering and turned towards her.

"Oh...well what happens when you've grown up?" the March Hare asked.

"Well...lots of things."

"What sort of things?" Hatter pressed.

"You're not being very specific," the Dormouse managed to say, his eyes fluttering open only to close once more.

"Why, so many things will happen, it would take much too long to explain it all," Alice lied. This was going to be much harder than she had originally thought.

"Can you at least explain one thing? When I grew up, I was forced to leave the nest along with my other brothers and sisters," the March Hare explained, recalling the days of his young adulthood. Such fond memories he had of being in the nest where he would snuggle with his brothers and sisters as they felt the warmth of their mother's fur (what she had left behind for them at least).

"You won't be forced out of your home?" Hatter asked, becoming worried by the March Hare's remark.

"No, Hatter, not until I'm married," Alice replied in order to reassure him. "But...I may have to cut back on some visits to Wonderland. I shall be very busy once I am older..."

"Less visits! That's absurd!" the March Hare exclaimed. "You must simply find Time Alice. He will surely help you. He'll let you visit us as much as you want for hours on end. I can imagine he would adore you."

While the March Hare continued to prattle about Time, Alice could not help but to shift her gaze towards the others. The Dormouse was now wide awake (at least, he appeared to be) though he did not say anything. This was mostly due to the fact he knew he would receive scolding if he interrupted the March Hare's talk. The Dormouse at one point opened his mouth to say something once he thought the March Hare had finished his speech but quickly closed it as the hare continued. Hatter, on the other hand, was staring at Alice. Their eyes met and Alice could not help but to feel a pang of guilt as she looked deep into Hatter's dark, sad eyes.

"I simply can't do it," Alice told herself. She only wished that she had left Wonderland sooner and was no longer attached to the world she loved so much. However, she knew her little remark was futile: it simply had to be done. Yet, still feeling guilty, Alice turned her gaze away from Hatter. There was no way she could possibly tell him the complete truth: that she planned on leaving Wonderland forever. She would simply have to find the answer to her question on her own.

"Well, look at the bright side, at least Alice will still visit, right Alice?" she heard Hatter say after some time. Alice turned her attention once more towards Hatter who was giving a hopeful smile. Of course, this smile simply could not cover the sad expression that was still upon his face. It was then and there that Alice made the bold decision not to tell Hatter about her plan.

"But then, would that not make matters worse?" Alice questioned herself. She imagined leaving Wonderland this time with Hatter awaiting her next return. Yet, no matter how long he waited, she would never come. Her seat at his overly large table would remain empty forever. This thought saddened her to such a great extent; she found her throat tightening as a lump began to form.

Rather suddenly, Alice arose from her seat.

"Of course I'll return," Alice remarked, attempting to sound as cheerful as possible. However, she was still forced to fight off the lump in her throat. "I'm terribly sorry but I really must be going," Alice said as she curtsied.

"Oh, alright then," the March Hare replied though he was clearly disappointed in her sudden departure. He and the Dormouse looked over towards Hatter as though waiting for him to say something.

"Do you know how long you will be where ever it is you are going?" Hatter finally asked. Alice bit her lip at his remark. With the lump still climbing up her throat and what felt to be a few tears creeping to the front of her eyes, a part of Alice was afraid to come back to see Hatter.

"I do not know though I think it will take some time," Alice lied again as she began to take a few steps towards the edge of the garden.

"Oh..." was all Hatter said at first. "Well then...I guess this is goodbye for now."

"Goodbye," Alice said as politely as possible and before anyone could protest her leaving further, she was out of the garden.

"Alice, wait!" she heard Hatter call from behind. But Alice did not dare to go back.

What a mess of things she had made. No matter what she did, she would be hurting her best friend in all of Wonderland and that was absolutely dreadful. Alice quickly rubbed her eyes, breathing easily in hopes of calming herself. When she was a safe distance away from his house, she did stop to ponder going back. However, she quickly dismissed this.

"If there is no way to leave Wonderland forever, then it would be rather silly of me to confront him now," she reasoned. Besides, she simply dreaded having to see that hurt look on his face. Instead, Alice chose to press forward with her plan as she began to walk as far away from Hatter's house as she could. "Now, I suppose the next thing to do is determine where to go next." For, she really wished to avoid the queens as much as possible. Not to mention, there was no guarantee if they could even help her.

"Having a bit a trouble?" a voice that appeared to be everywhere and yet nowhere at the same time remarked. Alice stopped dead in her tracks upon hearing the voice, thankful that the two had run into each other. Gradually, the mouth of the Cheshire Cat came into view along with the rest of his body to reveal a body that resembled a calico cat. He was sitting on a nearby tree branch, looking down upon her.

"Actually, I am," Alice replied. "You wouldn't by any chance know how to leave Wonderland forever?"

"Forever and ever?" the Cheshire Cat inquired, grinning, his large, golden eyes fixed intently on her.

"Yes."

"Why would you think a cat like me would know a thing like that?" the Cheshire Cat asked, his grin larger than ever.

"Well, perhaps you might know someone who would know a thing like that?" Alice inquired. The Cheshire Cat paused for a moment as if pondering her question when Alice had a hunch he was merely faking it.

"If anyone knows such a thing like that, it would be the Caterpillar. But no one really knows where he is these days," the Cheshire Cat finally replied. "Though, I encourage you to take my advice and go to the Queen of Hearts."

"Why her?" Alice asked, rather distasting the idea.

"She's the most powerful queen in Wonderland of course," the Cheshire Cat answered though he chuckled afterwords causing Alice to believe that he was not completely being honest with his answer as though he were hiding something. Still, she knew it was best to follow the Cheshire Cat's advice since she had no other leads.

"Thank you very much," Alice responded with a curtsy. "I shall go to the Queen of Hearts right away."

Without saying goodbye, the Cheshire Cat's body began to disappear once more until only his grin remained and eventually that too disappeared.

"He really is rather rude sometimes," Alice remarked. With that, Alice began her journey to visit the Queen of Hearts in hopes of being able to leave Wonderland forever.

* * *

_I dislike it when two different spell checkers tell me how to spell a word differently. Do not be surprised if you see some mistakes for I see them now as I write this. _

_I wanted all the characters to have a unique feeling to them which is why I avoided sticking to any particular version of Alice. _

_If you notice, the March Hare is wearing Hatter's outfit from the Disney version of Alice in Wonderland (as Alice is also wearing her outfit from the Disney version) _

_In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Hatter did believe he murdered Time. Most of Alice's revelations are in reference to the novel (in case you did not know though I'm really just extending my facts because I do not have many to give this chapter XD) _

_Leporids is the family that both a rabbit (specifically Milo) and the March Hare belong to. _

_When the March Hare says "poor and pour" the words are switched on purpose. _

_The name Milo comes from the Phantom Tollbooth in which a boy undergoes various travels that are similar to Alice in Wonderland (the author also makes a fair amount of puns in his work as well much like Lewis Carroll). _

_The title of this chapter comes from a painting by Amy Brown (with the same name) that depicts a unicorn holding a tea cup along with various other strange creatures (the unicorn immediately reminded me of the Unicorn from Through the Looking Glass)._

_That is all, I believe. If I'm missing something, I shall simply add it._


	3. A Small Detour

_Hello once again! I would just like to thank everyone who is taking the time to read this story as well as those who are reviewing it! I believe these are the most enjoyable reviews I've ever read. I hope you enjoy this chapter and look forward to the next! Reviews are always encouraged and constructive criticism is most welcome (for I really did have trouble with this chapter).  
_**

* * *

A Small Detour**

Alice continued her travels towards the Queen of Heart's Palace, all the while pondering over her current situation with Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse. Although Hatter seemed most upset, she knew both the March Hare and the Dormouse would be equally disappointed with the news. Not to mention, she was unsure if she could trust them to keep the secret from Hatter. They were slightly mad, after all.

"How could you possibly keep such a secret from Hatter? That is positively cruel," Alice reprimanded herself. No, no, the best thing to do was to keep the secret from everyone: at least, those three since she would ultimately tell the Queen of Hearts in order to obtain her advice (plus, there was the fact she had already told the Cheshire Cat). Oh this was awfully confusing!

At some point in between her contemplating, Alice bent down to pick up a few mushrooms from the ground. There was no knowing when she may need to shrink or grow. For now, Alice placed the mushrooms in her pocket as she strolled through the forest. Normally, Alice would take this opportunity to enjoy the scenery. Wonderland forests always contained the most pleasant creatures. Sometimes she would run into a fawn or a rocking-horse-fly during such walks. Though, as mentioned earlier, Alice simply was not in the mood to explore the forest in search of such creatures.

"Oh dear me, I am terribly late!" Alice heard a void shouting in the distance. She turned her head in different directions, hoping to find the source of the shouting. Off to her left, Alice could see a small figure running towards her. In just a few minutes, it became clearly apparent that it was the White Rabbit running frantically about. He looked down at his watch. "I may be able to just barely make it if I run fast enough!" he cried as he placed the watch in his waistcoat pocket (all the while still running of course).

"Hello there," Alice said politely as the rabbit ran closer towards her. He was no doubt travelling to the Queen of Heart's Palace as well. It would be rather nice to have a companion along the way. Not to mention, she would like nothing more than to be able to think of other topics instead of the one that was now clouding her mind.

"I shall have to change into the spare tabard when I arrive. Oh dear, this is dreadful! Most dreadful!" the White Rabbit continued chatting with himself as he ran past Alice, not taking the least bit notice in her. Without warning, the White Rabbit suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking more frenzied than ever. "I forgot my white gloves!" Upon this revelation, the White Rabbit turned his body around so that he was once more facing Alice. "But...I shall never get to the palace in time if I run back! Oh, what ever shall I do?"

"Excuse me Mr-," Alice was about to begin, still hoping she could perhaps travel with the White Rabbit to the palace for the rabbit had been speaking so rapidly, she was unable to understand what he was so worried about.

"You there!" the White Rabbit suddenly exclaimed, pointing towards Alice.

"You know, it really is rather rude to point," Alice pointed out.

"Alice! My dear, sweet Alice!" the White Rabbit exclaimed though Alice knew very well he was simply buttering her up for some reason for she knew he did not think she was very sweet nor dear. She was lucky enough that the White Rabbit was able to remember her name this time. "Go to my house and fetch my white gloves. Bring them to the palace. And be quick about it!"

"But, I really must be-," Alice was about to explain her circumstances but before she could finish, the White Rabbit was already gone. Alice attempted to call after him a few times, even running a few paces after him, until eventually he disappeared into the distance. Angrily, Alice placed her hands on her hips. "Well! He is ten times as rude as the Cheshire Cat! Ordering me around like that!"

Just as Alice was about to continuing marching forward, completely ignoring the White Rabbit's request, she paused. Although the White Rabbit had been rather rude (extremely rude, in fact), she knew better than ever that he served the Queen of Hearts and had every reason to be worried about his tardiness. No one ever knew what sort of mood she would be in. If she were in a bad mood, well, it would not be unusual for the White Rabbit to receive a ridiculous sentence due to his late behavior. That rabbit always seemed to be late for _something. _

"Well, I suppose I may be able to help the poor fellow," Alice reasoned. Reluctantly, Alice commenced her small detour towards the White Rabbit's house. "Oh, I do hope Mary Ann is there."

Alice became rather irritated to learn that the White Rabbit's house was not very far away: only a few kilometers at best. The White Rabbit could have very easily taken it upon himself to run back and grab his gloves without much delay. Compared to the distance he had yet to travel to reach the palace, he would have only had to take a small detour himself. Time could not have been _that _angry with him.

However, Alice's frown quickly faded away as she approached the outskirts of his home. Unlike the Hatter (or even the March Hare for that matter) the White Rabbit's house was rather lovely as well as tidy. A small vegetable garden rested close to the house where no doubt the White Rabbit took most of his food supply from. The fence looked as though it had just been painted appropriately white. This was no doubt thanks to Bill the Lizard. Alice always did feel rather sorry for Bill for having to do such labor for the White Rabbit yet at the same time she could not help but to admire his handy work. Luckily the fence was open most likely due to the fact the White Rabbit had to rush out just moments before so Alice had no trouble walking through. For, she would hate to accidently break the fence or some sort of other misfortune to occur. After kicking Bill out of the chimney and treating him rather poorly at the trial, Alice felt terribly guilty any time some sort of misfortune should befall Bill. Unfortunately for Bill, it was rather frequent that something should go terribly wrong for him.

The door was still open as Alice approached the quaint household. A tall young woman (perhaps a year or two older than Alice) was busy dusting a few knick knacks that lay quietly on a mantelpiece.

"I was attempting to tell you you left your gloves before you rushed off," the woman said absentmindedly as she heard someone come in, mistaking Alice for the White Rabbit. She turned her head towards the direction of the door. "Oh, Alice! I'm terribly sorry," the woman said, now moving away from her current chore to greet the new guest.

"It's all right Mary Ann," Alice said, giving a small smile. Mary Ann brushed her long, dark brown hair behind her ear before exchanging the favor with a smile of her own. She then proceeded to brush a bit of dust that had fallen on her white pinafore. Unfortunately, the dust ended up rubbing into the fabric. Though Mary Ann did not seem to mind seeing as it was only her housekeeping uniform. She then looked back at Alice, her almond eyes showing a rather puzzled expression.

"Alice, I am glad that you decided to visit but I can't help but wonder why you are here," Mary Ann commented. Her feet carried her to a chair not too far away from where she had been working just moments before. Gracefully, Mary Ann sat down, folding her hands neatly in her lap. Mary Ann never seemed to enjoy working when Alice came to visit.

"I'm here for a pair of white gloves," Alice replied. Mary Ann rolled her eyes at the mention of them.

"Oh yes, they're over there," Mary Ann remarked as she pointed to a small table where two white gloves lay. "He never remembers them."

"What was he late for _this_ time?" Alice inquired as she went to pick up the white gloves.

"Oh," Mary Ann sighed. "I don't know all the details. There is some sort of concert occurring this evening at the palace. 'Lolita the Lori, Jack the Dodo, Beddor the Frog, Basil the Mouse, and everyone else that is important will be there'," Mary Ann continued, quoting and mocking the White Rabbit. "To be honest, I have no clue as to why Beddor is there to begin with. He nearly had his head cut off the last time he was at the palace."

"That's dreadful," Alice remarked. "What did he do wrong?"

"I believe it had something to do with a piece of writing he was working on," Mary Ann offered. She began to trace her fingers over her black dress. "But, enough about that, how have you been Alice? How is your world?" Mary Ann added, clearly not wanting to have to think about Wonderland society (if it could even be called such). She would much rather learn of the adventures in Alice's world, a place that seemed too good to be true.

However, Mary Ann's new topic forced Alice to once again think about the complications of her world and its relationship with Wonderland. Although Mary Ann was probably the least mad citizen of Wonderland, Alice was unsure if she should bring her dilemma up in the conversation. It was true, though, that if there was anyone who could provide reasonable advice on such topics in Wonderland, it would be Mary Ann.

"Well, things are going all right I suppose," Alice replied, still unsure if she should embark on such a conversation. Unfortunately, it was already too late for Alice: Mary Ann was beginning to suspect some sort of trouble had occurred for she raised her eyebrow at Alice's tone of voice.

"You suppose?" Mary Ann inquired, her voice calm. Alice steadied her gaze as she was prepared to nod her head in response to Mary Ann. However, Mary Ann's intense stare was taking its toll on Alice as she desperately attempted to keep a poker face. It was a futile attempt of course: Mary Ann simply knew her all too well. Just a few minutes later, Alice was sighing as her mask disappeared.

"Mary Ann, what happened to you when you grew older?" Alice inquired. Since there was no doubt Mary Ann had gone through such a change recently, perhaps her experiences would be able to assist Alice. Not to mention, it did not directly tackle Mary Ann's suspicion.

"Nothing," Mary Ann answered, rather puzzled. "I matured as you have done and I began to work for the White Rabbit. Why?" The mention of her employment under the White Rabbit reminded Mary Ann that she really must be working. Once she had finished her statement, she rose from her seat and began to once again clean the various knick knacks on the White Rabbit's mantelpiece.

"I guess it must be different in Wonderland," Alice replied, disappointed that Mary Ann did not have to go through a similar transformation as Alice.

"What must you do to become an adult in your world?" Mary Ann inquired as she noticed Alice's disappointed tone.

"According to my sister," Alice began, "I must leave Wonderland...permanently."

Mary Ann nearly dropped the clock she had been dusting in response to Alice's reply. Immediately, she spun around so that she was able to face Alice completely. Her steady expression changed to one of shock.

"But why? I have never heard of such a thing," Mary Ann stated, still unable to fully grasp what Alice was telling her.

"Well...it happens to everyone," Alice replied though she faltered as she attempted to answer this question. Why _did_ she have to leave Wonderland? After all, her sister had never told her why, just that she did. Perhaps, there really was a way to grow older and stay in Wonderland at the same time. Though, from what her sister had said, it seemed rather impossible.

"When do plan on departing?" Mary Ann inquired. Alice bit her lip at this particular question.

"I was hoping that this would be my last visit..." Alice finally managed to say. Although she considered Mary Ann to be one of her good, dear friends, surprisingly it was not as difficult to inform her of this information as it had been with the others. "I was on my way to see the Queen of Hearts."

"So soon?" Mary Ann commented, slightly upset at this bit of information. "Does it have to be this way?"

"I believe so," Alice answered rather sadly for although she did not know the true reason as to why she was forced to leave Wonderland, she could not help but to feel in her gut that there was no other way. If there had been another method, to keep both Wonderland and adulthood, surely her sister would have told her. These suddenly new thoughts confused poor Alice greatly: her opinion was constantly transforming and she had no clue which one to choose. It was as though her mind was at war with itself and she wasn't entirely sure which side was winning.

"Your customs are quite strange," Mary Ann said as she shook her head. "Have you told anyone else?"

"...No," Alice answered, rather reluctantly as once again guilt began to consume her. "I did try to tell Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse but they all seemed rather upset when I brought it up."

Mary Ann did not reply to Alice's remark right away. Instead, she commenced her cleaning once more, leaving Alice to stand awkwardly with the gloves still in her hands. Normally, Alice would have said something to break such a silence but she could tell from Mary Ann's expression that she was pondering what she had just heard, preparing to bestow Alice the advice she had been seeking.

"Alice, if you really wish this to be your last visit to Wonderland, I think it is best if you possess no regrets," Mary Ann finally said gently, not looking up towards Alice as she said this. "Do you really want to leave Wonderland with your friends wondering where you have gone?"

Once more, the image of Hatter sitting alone at his table (even though in real life he would most likely be sitting at the March Hare's table), waiting for her, filled Alice's mind. Slowly, an image of the March Hare filled a seat followed by the Dormouse. They were all waiting for her. And yet, where was she?

The thought sickened her as she begged the image to disappear. She grimaced as she realized Mary Ann was right: she couldn't possibly leave Wonderland without telling her closest friends the truth. Still, Alice dreaded the thought of having to confront them.

"What if I am unable to tell them?" Alice wondered aloud, recalling how she simply could not bare to do it just a little while ago.

"Then you will hurt them even more," Mary Ann answered simply. Alice sighed knowing Mary Ann was right. She would have to muster up courage and tell them. However, fear still loomed over her as well. "You have been here for a rather long time. I expect the White Rabbit is wondering where you are."

Alice squeezed the gloves in her hand a bit, a part of her not wanting to leave the White Rabbit's house. She wished more than ever for time to stand still so she would not have to continue on this gloomy journey.

"Yes, I suppose I should go," Alice replied quietly. Mary Ann rose from her position once more.

"Goodbye Alice, I shall miss you," Mary Ann said.

"And I you," Alice answered. Mary Ann gave Alice a brief hug before Alice stepped out of the White Rabbit's house. Bill the Lizard was working in the garden. Bill gazed over hesitantly as Alice strode by. As Alice passed Bill, a small idea came to her.

"I could tell Bill I am leaving Wonderland as practice," Alice reasoned to herself for the more times she said it, the easier it would become. "Hello Bill," Alice said, stopping in front of the edge of the garden. Bill jumped slightly upon hearing his name.

"Alice," was all Bill managed to say due to his nerves. Clearly, he had never been able to completely get over Alice's kicking him out of the chimney.

"I...just thought you should know this is my last visit to Wonderland," Alice said, surprised by how simple it was to tell Bill this information. Perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to tell Hatter after all.

"Really?" Bill asked, unsure how to reply to such a comment.

"Yes," Alice replied, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the conversation for to her, it seemed as though Bill was relieved that she was leaving.

"Well...goodbye then," Bill finally said.

"Goodbye."

Alice left the White Rabbit's home feeling rather odd due to the small conversation she had just had with Bill the Lizard. Then again, when did she not feel odd in Wonderland?

* * *

_I do understand the White Rabbit did not make much of an appearance. But, he is really a rather rude bunny if I do say so myself! Even in the original story he's always running off and doesn't really seem to care about anyone below him unless he needs something. Still, don't be surprised if he shows up again. _

_Lolita the Lory, Jack the Dodo, Basil the Mouse, and Beddor the Frog are not the Lory, the Dodo, the Mouse, and the Frog. They are different characters all together. Please keep this in mind. _

_Lolita's name comes from the common fashion Lolita that is highly popular in Japan. This style is taken from the Victorian period and has its own subcategory of Lolita fashion dedicated to Alice. _

_Jack's name is from a japanese comic (manga) called Pandora Hearts. Jack is a character that oddly enough reminds me of Lewis Carroll himself. And since Lewis Carroll based the Dodo off of himself, it was only appropriate that Jack would also be a Dodo. _

_Since someone mentioned the Disney version of Alice in Wonderland (the old one), I couldn't help but look up the scene where Alice goes to the White Rabbit's house. And you will never guess who I saw! Bill the Lizard! Well, you were obviously expecting Bill to be there but Bill has made another appearance in The Great Mouse Detective. He is the only lizard in Ratigan's gang and the two must be the same Bill seeing as how they look and sound alike. So seeing as Bill was crossed over into the Great Mouse Detective, it only made sense to cross over the Great Mouse Detective with Wonderland. And who better to bring to Wonderland than Basil of Baker Street himself! Of course, Basil is mad in his own way. _

_Finally, Beddor comes from Frank Beddor, author of The Looking Glass Wars. While on a tour for his book, members of the Lewis Carroll Society were waiting for him by the elevator, carrying signs that read "Off with Frank Beddor's head!". It only seemed appropriate to have his Wonderland counterpart recieve a similar threat from the Queen of Hearts. _

_I always felt sorry for Mary Ann. She is forced to work for the White Rabbit and yet the White Rabbit cannot even take the time to remember who she is and what she looks like. It only seemed fair to give her a slightly more significant part in this story. _

_Also, in the previous chapter, the straw on the March Hare's head is from the original illustrations of Alice in Wonderland. Thank Kittie Darkhart for reminding me.  
_


	4. A Knight in the Castle

_Hello everyone once more. First of all, I would like to thank everyone for their reviews once again. As I've said before, they are a pleasure to read. Now, without further delay, here is the next chapter. Reviews are kindly appreciated as well as constructive criticism.  
_**

* * *

A Knight in the Castle**

Alice gazed amazingly at the intricate castle that lay before her. She climbed up the marble, white steps as she passed the red rose bushes. Alice wasn't quite sure if these roses had been painted or not and thought it best not to find out. Two card soldiers (one a Two of Hearts the other a three of the same suite) stood in front of an enormous red door with a heart engraved upon it. Alice stood tall in front of the entrance, acting as though she belonged there.

"What is your business?" the Three of Hearts (no doubt the more experienced of the two) inquired.

"I must speak to the Queen of Hearts," Alice replied. "The Cheshire Cat told me to." Alice thought she might add in hopes of persuading the queen even more. "Oh, and I have a pair of gloves for the White Rabbit," Alice mentioned, nearly forgetting she had them.

The Three of Hearts nodded in acknowledgment. The two cards stepped to the side, allowing Alice to pass through. She had a bit of trouble opening the door (for it was a rather tall one) but with some effort was eventually able to open it. Normally she would point out to the soldiers they really should help someone when they are attempting to open such a door, but she was too anxious to meet the queen. So, without another word, Alice proceeded into the castle.

The most apparent feature of the palace was the different shades of red covering the interior. There were so many shades of red, the colors occasionally clashed with one another. The tapestries each contained the Queen of Hearts insignia. Alice marveled at these tapestries as she walked forward towards the throne room, butterflies dancing in her stomach all the way.

What made this particular visit to the palace odd (or at the very least, odder than usual) was there were so few people present. In fact, the corridor Alice was walking through was empty. Hadn't the White Rabbit told Mary Ann everyone would be here? Alice opened with little difficulty a smaller door that led to the throne room as she wondered where everyone could possibly be.

"Well I suppose I shall find out from the queen," Alice told herself.

Upon opening the door, to Alice's great surprise, Alice found the queen's throne to be empty. The White Rabbit stood impatiently next to the throne wearing his tabard, clearly irritated. A young man stood next to him, attempting to calm the rabbit down.

Alice's footsteps created an echo throughout the room. The sound instantly carried to the White Rabbit's lengthy ears, causing him to turn in her direction. His eyes widened, not at the sight of Alice but at the sight of his gloves.

"You are late! Late, I tell you!" the White Rabbit reprimanded as he ran forward for his gloves.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I was a little side tracked," Alice began to explain as politely as possible.

"I could have very well lost my head to the queen thanks to you," the White Rabbit stated as he took the gloves from Alice's hand. Alice was not very sure what she should say to such a comment.

"I'm sure she did not mean to be late," the young man said as he stepped towards the two. Alice's gaze shifted towards the man. He looked familiar and yet she could not identify him. He was a rather tall man wearing a white tunic with black leggings. His dark brown boots created an echo with each step as he neared Alice. She stared into his light brown eyes, hoping to find some sort of hint as to who this person was. "Don't you recognize me?" the young man said after noticing Alice's puzzled expression. "It's me, Charles."

"Charles," Alice repeated, her eyes widening as she now recognized Charles, the White Knight. "I didn't recognize you without your armor!" Alice now became rather excited having found a friend in the castle. There were so many questions she wished to ask him right now, questions she knew she might have difficulty obtaining the answers to if she were to ask the White Rabbit.

"It's not like I wear _that_ much armor," Charles teased. While this small conversation was taking place, the White Rabbit took this opportunity to place his gloves on his paws.

"I suppose so...," Alice trailed off, slightly embarrassed. It was rather silly that she was unable to recognize the White Knight after all. "May I ask as to where the Queen is? I must speak with her straightaway. It's rather important," Alice stated, not wanting to become side tracked once again.

"The Queen of Hearts is not here at the moment," the White Rabbit informed her, his irritation dying gradually. "However, when she returns, you may speak with her." Alice could not help but to roll her eyes: she could clearly see the Queen of Hearts was not present.

"But where has she gone?" Alice rephrased her original question.

"She has gone all over Wonderland, I'm afraid," the White Rabbit answered, clearly not wanting to be bothered with questions at the moment.

"When will she be back?" Alice continued to question.

"I do not know. You will simply have to wait," the White Rabbit said rather harshly, his irritated nature once more resurfacing. He clearly was not in a very good mood today. Alice frowned at his answer: his rather rude answer.

"May I take you on a tour of the castle while you wait?" the White Knight inquired as he waved his hand gracefully towards the door. Glad to be able to do something else besides wait, Alice nodded. "You are welcome to come as well," Charles added, offering his invitation to the White Rabbit.

"No thank you," the White Rabbit replied. "There are still many things that must be done before the Queen returns." Without saying another word, the White Knight graciously began to lead Alice out of the throne room. Alice turned her head around to see the White Rabbit was fidgeting as he clearly waited for his queen to return. Or perhaps, he was waiting for someone else who was supposed to help prepare for the Queen's arrival. Either way, Alice decided not to bother with such things at the moment and instead enjoy the pleasant walk she would now have with Charles.

"May I ask why you're here?" Alice inquired as the two were now walking down a long hallway.

"Well...the Red Queen was ill today so the White Queen invited the Queen of Hearts to take her place in the game," the White Knight explained. "I was captured just a few hours ago... though I suspect the game should be ending rather soon."

"I see," Alice replied. "How is the Queen of Hearts doing?"

"Well...to be honest," the White Knight replied rather lowly so as not to attract unwanted listeners. "I'm not entirely sure she knows how to play chess. She nearly had me executed after I was captured! If it hadn't been for a Rook, I might have been done for."

"The Queen of Hearts brought the executioner with her?" Alice inquired, her eyes widening at the story.

"No, she was about to do it herself."

"Oh."

"Now, may I ask why you are here, Queen Alice?" the White Knight inquired. Alice frowned at the question.

"You know I am no longer queen," Alice replied as she recalled a time in which she was known as Queen Alice by all of Wonderland. "I relinquished that title long ago."

"I'm sorry," Charles remarked as he opened one of the doors in a corridor. Upon opening the door, the White Knight revealed an unusual room in which various foods were running about, jumping on tables, and other strange activities. Alice noticed the leg of a chicken was hanging on a chandelier as drops of pudding attempted to leap towards it. She only caught a glimpse of a bottle of some drink playing hop scotch before the White Knight closed the door. "My apologies, I could have sworn I was taking you to the library."

"That's all right," Alice replied as the two began to take another route. "To answer your question, I am here because..." she trailed off, not really wanting to bring up the subject. "How is your father doing?"

"He's doing fine..." Charles answered, slightly confused by the sudden change of subject.

"He is a very kind man," Alice mentioned, recalling when she first met him during her quest to become queen. He was easily the nicest man she had ever met in Wonderland. It was a shame he had to retire his position as the White Knight though she firmly believed Charles (his successor) was the second nicest man in Wonderland.

"That he is. I hope to be as good a knight as he was," Charles commented.

"I believe you'll be a better knight than he was," Alice replied. Hopefully, Charles would at least be able to remain on his horse unlike his father.

"It is that type of encouraging behavior every queen should have."

"I suppose," Alice remarked rather timidly. She was not particularly fond of Charles insinuating her qualifications for queen. After all, as she had stated previously, that was a long time ago in a time when she did not fully understand queens and their duties.

"Why did you relinquish your title?" Charles asked curiously. Alice sighed at this question. It wasn't really a topic she enjoyed discussing. Still, she would rather tackle this chat as opposed to breaking the news to Charles of her leaving Wonderland permanently. "If you don't mind my asking," Charles added upon hearing Alice's sigh.

"Well...I would much rather explore Wonderland on my own free will as opposed to having to follow squares or be confined to a castle all day," Alice answered truthfully. After all, she could only enjoy chess for so long.

The White Knight looked rather sad once he heard Alice's answer, a part of him wishing she was still queen in his own domain. Alice noticed this hint of sadness and she could not help but to feel guilty as it reminded her of Hatter's sad expression not too long ago. Just as Alice was about to give words of comfort, the two had come to a complete dead end.

"This is quite peculiar. I could have sworn this was the right direction," he declared. They only stood looking towards the wall for a brief moment before the White Knight turned around and led them another way.

"You know Charles, I have so many dear friends in Wonderland, it would be rather difficult for me to be Queen and visit them all at the same time," Alice attempted to explain as they continued walking. "Besides, it's not like we are unable to see one another."

"That's true. You do visit quite often," the White Knight replied as he considered Alice's words. "Well, it is _your_ choice after all." Alice simply nodded in agreement. It was then that she realized she had no clue as to where they were. The walls were a much lighter color, nearly pink, with a white floor.

"Perhaps we should ask someone for directions," Alice suggested as politely as possible.

"Nearly everyone is watching the game," Charles explained. "Not to worry, I will find the way Miss Alice."

"Miss Alice?" Alice inquired for he had never addressed her by that before.

"Well, if I am unable to refer to you as Queen, perhaps I could call you Miss?" Charles explained.

"Oh...," Alice replied, somewhat stunned by the White Knight's statement. "...of course you may address me by that if you wish. Though I only wish you wouldn't be so formal."

"As you wish," Charles responded innocently, smiling even. "Alice it is."

Alice found herself blushing for reasons unknown at the White Knight's comment. She only hoped it was not too noticeable. Even if it was, she did not imagine Charles to point such a thing out to her. He was much too kind for that. Still, Alice did not say anything for quite some time as she waited patiently for her face to cool down. As the two walked in silence, Alice realized she would eventually have to tell the White Knight of her leaving Wonderland. As the red tone in her cheeks died down, a pit in her stomach began to form.

"Charles..." Alice began rather timidly.

"Yes?" the White Knight inquired calmly despite the fact it was easy to detect something was amiss.

"The reason why I am here to see the Queen of Hearts...is...well...I have to ask her something," Alice attempted to begin as best she could. However, she could already see this was not going as she hoped. Why had it been so easy to tell Bill the Lizard and Mary Ann? The two came to yet another dead end.

"And what might that be?" Charles asked politely as the two turned around straight away towards yet another direction.

"I...want to ask her...if she knows of a way to leave Wonderland," Alice finally stated, refusing to look towards him.

"Do you not leave Wonderland often already?" the White Knight questioned.

"I meant, a way so that I may not be able to return to Wonderland...ever..." Alice explained with difficulty.

"May I ask why you wish to leave?" Charles inquired further. He seemed as calm as ever, as though they were having a rather nice conversation now instead of the grim one that was currently occurring. It was his collected behavior that Alice greatly appreciated at the moment. His serenity allowed Alice to now feel comfortable with such a topic.

"It's not that I wish to," Alice remarked simply. "It's just that I want to grow up and if I stay here, I shan't be able to."

"Then I guess it can't be helped," the White Knight replied. He did not say anything for a few moments as he processed what Alice had just told him. The two walked in silence as time passed by slowly.

Without warning, Charles grabbed onto Alice's hand as he began to walk briskly down the halls. Her soft, gentle hand rested firmly within Charles' own rough hand which told many tales of adventure and experiences beyond the imagination.

"What are you doing?" Alice asked, gasping at the sudden change of movement.

"Since we don't have that much time together, we might as well make the most of it, right?" the White Knight stated as he smiled back at Alice. Alice felt her heart race even though the two were not traveling very fast. Heat was once more traveling to her cheeks as they made a sharp turn towards a new corridor.

Alice and the White Knight spent the rest of their time together attempting to find their way through the castle. Eventually, Charles' fast pace began to die down with each dead end they ran into. Although it seemed as though they might be lost in the castle forever, Alice still enjoyed every moment she spent with the White Knight as their conversations explored various topics including riddles, rhymes, and even rhetoric.

"I believe this is the tenth dead end you've led me to," Alice remarked playfully.

"I'm terribly sorry," the White Knight replied, slightly embarrassed at this little fact.

"It's all right," Alice said more gently. The two stood in front of the dead end, staring at each other for a while.

"Alice!" Alice suddenly heard someone calling her, breaking her gaze that was now directed at Charles. She turned towards the direction of the sound to find none other than Hatter standing just a few feet away from the two.

"What is he doing here?" was the first thought that passed through Alice's mind. She examined him head to toe, hoping to catch something that might provide some sort of clue as to why he was in the Queen of Hearts' Castle. However, he was wearing the same clothes as before, only with an added yellow bow tie that possessed purple polka dots. Alice nearly laughed at this small addition as he marched towards her.

"What are you doing here, Alice?" Hatter demanded, excited and yet oddly irritated at the same time. Some form of anger was bubbling inside of him as he saw Alice alone with the White Knight even though he knew the two to be good friends. What must be understood is Hatter was once again feeling a rage of jealously; however, he was completely unaware of _why_ he felt this way. For, Hatter was never able to find the answer to this question just as he was never able to find the answer to the riddle "why is a raven like a writing desk?"

"I've come to see the Queen of Hearts," Alice answered, slightly annoyed by Hatter's unusual behavior. "Why are _you_ here?"

"_I_ happen to be performing at a concert in honor of the Queen tonight," Hatter replied, slightly offended by Alice's tone of voice. Yet, Alice could see from the look in his eyes (for the two were now standing rather close to one another) that Hatter was clearly upset for another reason entirely.

"You're performing for the Queen tonight?" Alice inquired, more gently than before. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to tell you," Hatter answered, his tone of voice also more calm. "But you said you were busy." Alice bit her lip at Hatter's answer, recalling their conversation just before she had rudely left him.

"I'm sorry Hatter," Alice remarked softly, feeling guilty for treating him so poorly.

"...It's all right," Hatter replied, slightly at a loss for words. "Well, if you are still interested in attending, I'd be happy to escort you there."

"Since I'm sure you need practicing," Charles finally intervened, not wanting to disrupt their previous conversation, "I would be happy to take Alice there while you prepare."

"I thank you for such an offer but Alice is _my_ honored guest," Hatter replied rather harshly, "therefore _I_ shall escort her there."

"You may both escort me there if you wish," Alice offered, not entirely sure as to why the two were arguing over such a silly matter.

"Very well," Hatter reluctantly agreed. "Now, we must be moving along. It is rather late, past tea time anyway."

"Is it really?" Alice asked, slightly shocked by such information.

"Yes. Why?"

"That would mean we've been lost for a few hours," the White Knight remarked nonchalantly.

"A few...hours?" Hatter said, his mouth nearly agape. The strange feeling was once again boiling inside him. However, this time Hatter was able to compose himself rather quickly. "Well, in _that_ case, follow me."

It was rather awkward for Alice to walk with Hatter and the White Knight. Hatter wished to lead the way (and no one objected to this) however at the same time, he wished to be close to Alice. Just the same, the White Knight also wanted to be close to Alice. Unfortunately, poor Alice had yet to understand why such strange occurrences were happening. Not to mention, she was not paying much attention to their behavior as she now pondered a new problem: she had yet to tell Hatter of her leaving Wonderland. She would have liked to discuss the matter right away but at the same time she did not want to break it down to him before his concert. He would need all the help he could get for the concert.

As the three were reaching closer to the concert hall, more and more people were beginning to fill the palace. Alice determined that the chess game must have ended if so many people were now present. She believed she spotted Basil the Mouse however she could not be sure of this for there were so many mice walking about.

As the crowd became thicker, the three found it rather difficult to stay close together. One moment, the White Knight was next to Alice and the next he had vanished. She stopped in her tracks in order to search for him but he was no where to be found. By the time Alice began walking again, Hatter had also disappeared. If it had not been for Hatter's large top hat, she would have lost him too. Quickly, Alice moved through the crowds with the dark blue top hat as her guiding light.

"Hatter!" Alice exclaimed as she finally reached him. Hatter turned around, not noticing that they had been separated in the first place. It was then that he was able to realize just how crowded the halls had become. Without another word, Hatter gently took Alice's hand, leading her to their proper destination. His hand was much different than that of the White Knight: it was smooth and delicate much like Alice's. This small little detail made Alice wonder how Hatter made his hats if his hands had clearly not done much labor (at least the labor hat making required).

"I did not expect so many people to arrive," Hatter muttered as he led Alice forward. Alice felt his hand twitch slightly as he said this.

"I'm sure you'll do just fine Hatter," Alice remarked encouragingly as she squeezed his hand lightly.

"I hope so," Hatter replied, still rather nervous about the whole situation and yet somewhat excited. "Your seat is up front," Hatter remarked as the two entered the chamber in which the concert would take place.

It was as though Alice had walked into a theater. The walls were decorated with a deep scarlet. A curtain rested to the side of the stage that was situated at the far end of the room. The stage was a fair size with nothing but a piano resting on it. Wonderland citizens chatted away as they sat in their seats, which were also red. As the two walked down the row, Alice spotted the White Knight sitting next to a Dodo. Alice was about to move towards them until Hatter urged her forward to the front row. There was one empty seat at the end of the row that lay next to where the March Hare and the Dormouse were seated.

"This is your seat," Hatter stated rather proudly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to...prepare," he continued, a hint of nervousness still in his voice, as Alice took her seat.

"Alice, I didn't think you were coming!" the March Hare exclaimed.

"Nor did I," Alice replied as she briefly looked around the room. The Lord and Lady of Diamonds were just a few seats away from them. Alice could have sworn she saw the Cheshire Cat's head floating in one of the seats, his grin as wide as ever and she could not help but wonder why he was here. She would have looked further but she knew it was rude to not look directly at the person she was speaking with. "But I'm very glad I'm here."

"Where have you been Alice?" the Dormouse, who was seated next to Alice, inquired. Alice was surprised for a moment to find the Dormouse with his eyes open completely. He stared beadily at her, his eyes full of curiosity. She wondered what Hatter and the March Hare had to do to get this phenomenon to occur.

"I was lost in the castle," Alice answered sheepishly.

"Well, all the same, we are glad you are here as well," the March Hare remarked. "Hatter has been practicing for this occasion for who knows how long."

"Really?" Alice asked surprisingly. "Why didn't he tell me about it sooner? I almost missed it!"

"I don't know, what are you asking me for? He's mad after all," the March Hare replied.

"It was a surprise, I believe," the Dormouse chimed in.

"The best prize is a sur_prize _I always say. That must have been it," the March Hare added.

"I suppose so," was all Alice managed to say before the lights dimmed. "Oh dear," Alice thought suddenly, "that's all the time Hatter had to prepare? That simply isn't enough."

All attention was now focused to the stage where a spotlight was following the White Rabbit as he entered from stage right (which would be Alice's left). Everyone present was silent while the White Rabbit cleared his throat.

"It is fitting that this concert should take place on the eve of the Queen of Hearts' victory at her first game of chess," the White Rabbit began. Another light appeared towards a balcony Alice had not noticed before. It was the only balcony in the entire theater where the Queen of Hearts sat proudly as her husband, the King of Hearts, sat next to her. "Therefore," the White Rabbit continued, "it is with great pleasure that we honor this concert in the name of the Queen." A wave of applause filled the room as each citizen of Wonderland present honored their queen.

Alice followed Hatter's movements towards the piano nervously. If he had the same skills playing the piano as he did singing, this would not go very well for him. Not only would he be at risk for execution, Hatter would be completely embarrassed in front of the top figure heads in Wonderland once more. Alice bit her lip as Hatter's hands moved towards the keys of the piano.

She was expected a complete, off tune piece: one that would send anyone running. For a brief moment, Alice found herself closing her eyes, unable to witness such a horrible occurrence. She only hoped it would be over before it had even begun. However, her anxiety for Hatter's sake immediately died as a wonderful tune began to fill the air. Slowly, she opened her eyes to find Hatter's hands glide gracefully across the piano. As though under a spell, she became mystified by the beautiful sound that was now filling her ears.

"I...never knew..." were the only thoughts that passed through Alice's head. She never expected Hatter, of all people, to possess such a wonderful talent.

Alice could not identify the pieces of music Hatter played. She guessed it was either an original work or something someone from Wonderland had composed. Alice did not think of such trifle things for very long for she was completely engulfed in his music. Everyone in the theater was. And yet, although she was completely entranced, she had no idea that this was for _her_ and not anyone else; at least, that was how Hatter's subconscious mind saw it. This was truly, the best surprise she had ever been given.

As soon as Hatter stroked the very last key, the entire audience stood, each applauding as loud as their neighbor. The March Hare whistled with excitement as Hatter bowed in gratitude. Even the Dormouse was filled with a ray of energy as his hands clapped furiously. Alice smiled while applauding as Hatter looked in her direction and he in turn smiled back. For a moment, Alice could not help but to feel sad as she realized she would have to speak with the Queen of Hearts next.

"I'm leaving Wonderland, Dormy," Alice said rather calmly to the Dormouse who was the only one who could possibly hear her at the time due to the noise that was filling the theater. "But you mustn't tell Hatter or the March Hare. I have to tell them on my own." Alice merely looked at the Dormouse through the corner of her eye. His eyes were as wide as ever yet he did not say a word. He and Alice knew this silence was for the best. Alice and the Dormouse decided to push the sad feelings aside for now. This was a happy time, not allowed to be poisoned by such thoughts.

Hatter desperately attempted to reach Alice and the others as crowds of people wished to congratulate him.

"That was wonderful!" the March Hare exclaimed when Hatter was in a reasonable distance.

"Terrific!" the Dormouse agreed though he was looking rather drowsy now.

"You were splendid Hatter," Alice added. Hatter was clearly pleased to hear all these compliments as he beamed with happiness.

"And now, to celebrate, I declare _this_ is tea time!" Hatter announced, attempting to sound as though he had as much authority as the White Rabbit. The March Hare cheered in agreement and the Dormouse would have if he had not been half asleep.

"Actually Hatter, I really must speak with the Queen of Hearts first," Alice mentioned.

"All right, would you like me to go with you?" Hatter offered.

"No, no," Alice protested. That was the last thing she wanted. She knew she must tell Hatter about her future when they were alone. "I really must speak to her myself."

"Then I shall wait for you," Hatter insisted. Alice frowned, not particularly fond of this idea.

"We all will," the March Hare agreed.

"You really don't have to..." Alice began.

"Hatter is preoccupied anyway," the Dormouse said sleepily as he referred to the people who were crowding around them.

"Then it's settled," the March Hare stated.

"But-," Alice tried to protest once more.

"We shall meet you in front of the throne room," Hatter called as the group was now being separated by the mass of people.

Alice had no choice but to fight the crowd as she desperately attempted to exit the theater. She was barely able to walk as she was nearly dragged around to various parts of the castle. It took some time before the crowds finally dispersed and she was able to walk once more on her own. She did not have to walk too far until she finally stood in front of the entrance to the throne room where the Queen of Hearts was waiting.

* * *

_Did LS just potentially create a love triangle? -You bet I did. _

_There have been theories that the White Knight was based on Lewis Carroll and the scene between Alice and the White Knight was to symbolize Lewis Carroll's farewell to a young Alice Liddell. Therefore, it only made sense to name the White Knight (or his son anyway) Charles. (Lewis Carroll's true first name). _

_I am not insinuating anything when I create a potential love triangle between the White Knight, Alice, and Hatter. I have no opinion on the matter regarding Lewis Carroll and Alice Liddell's relationship.  
_

_The Dodo was also apparently supposed to represent Lewis Carroll, hence why Charles is sitting next to one in the theater. _

_Alice was declared Queen Alice in Through the Looking Glass. _

_Alice's entrance into a sudden theater setting is reminiscent of the novel Coraline that involves a girl who goes through a similar journey as Alice does. _

_"The best prize is surprize" -Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Johnny Depp. In case you didn't know ^_~  
_

_I figured Hatter deserved to redeem himself after the incident with his first concert, don't you?_

_The meeting with the Queen of Hearts was originally going to take place within this chapter but since this chapter is rather long (at least long by my standards) I decided to push it to the next chapter (which I barely know what I'm doing with as of now). _

_Edit: Another little fact. The idea of the White Knight having no sense of direction comes from a visual novel (with a manga adaptation) called Heart no Kuni no Alice. To be honest, I thought the White Knight in the story did get lost. Apparently, he did not or at least, not to my knowledge. If someone could clear this up, I'd very much appreciate it. _

_That is all for now. Till next time.  
_

_

* * *

_


	5. Mad as a Hatter

_Hello everyone. I am terribly sorry for not updating sooner but I have been rather busy with life. Anyway, there are some things I must say right away before I forget. The first is, I have edited previous chapters with additional facts if you so choose to read them. The next thing I must say is I am utterly excited for the new Syfy (or whatever it is called now) miniseries Alice. It is said to be something very similar to Tin Man which I loved. With that being said, I hope I love this one! Of course, I am rooting for Hatter x Alice scenarios but I can only hope for now. Finally (at least, from what I can recall) is thank you (whoever it was) for adding this story to a community! I am truly honored. I am only sorry I didn't realize it sooner! _

_All right, let us move on to the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. Reviews are always encouraged along with constructive criticism.  
_**

* * *

Mad as a Hatter**

Alice took a deep breath before opening the door to the throne room. She knew she would have to make this meeting as brief as possible for although Hatter and the others agreed to wait outside for her, Alice knew Hatter would burst through the doors if he had the chance. Even if he did not have the chance, he would think of a very good excuse (at least one that was logical in _his_ eyes) to enter.

Alice was rather grateful to finally witness the Queen of Hearts sitting in her throne. However, even from so far away, she could see the Queen of Hearts yawn. Alice knew she would have to be cautious since the queen was no doubt cranky at the moment and wished nothing more than to retire for the evening. As the queen's cold, hard stare followed Alice as she walked forward, Alice began to wonder if she should have waited until morning.

As Alice was moving closer and closer to the Queen of Hearts, the queen's features were becoming ever more apparent. Her dress was a deep scarlet that stretched down to her waist. Once reaching her waist, the color of the dress changed to that of a black but hearts (also red) covered this part of the dress all around. A crown situated at the very top of her head, resting firmly on her fiery hair. Her hair matched perfectly with the fierce stare she now gave. The woman seated before Alice looked so deadly that even the White Rabbit shivered as he attempted to stand firmly next to the throne.

"I am terribly sorry to disturb you at such an hour Your Highness," Alice said as politely as possible, her lips quivering slightly as she curtsied.

"There is no point in apologizing if you have already decided to bother me at such an hour," the Queen of Hearts retorted sharply. Alice felt her heart jump at the queen's response. She was clearly in a foul mood: a dangerous mood.

"Yes...of course," Alice replied as kindly as possible. "I guess I better get right to the point then."

"You _guess_? You _should_ get straight to the point!" the queen barked back, sending the White Rabbit a few feet in the air. He quickly regained his composure for fear of disrespecting the queen in any way. She hadn't sentenced anyone to death at all today after all except for the near execution of the White Knight.

"The Cheshire Cat sent me here..." Alice began, once again attempting to maintain her calm composure. However, this was quickly failing as utter fear was consuming her. The queen could snap at any given moment it seemed.

"I don't care _who_ sent you. Just state what you want."

"I was hoping you knew of a way to leave Wonderland forever," Alice inquired as quickly as possible, flinching slightly before the Queen of Hearts provided an answer.

"Why would I know such a thing like that?" the Queen of Hearts fumed, possibly offended by such a question when there really was no need to be. The White Rabbit was now cowering behind a nearby pedestal, afraid to even take a glimpse at the Queen.

"Well...the Cheshire Cat..." Alice began once more rather timidly. A part of her was now hoping Hatter would show up and draw all attention to himself instead of her. At least he had a chance of lifting up the queen's poor mood due to his recent performance. Then again, who knew with the Queen of Hearts?

"Forget the Cheshire Cat! He is no concern of mine at the moment. You are my concern and I wish you would hurry it up already."

Alice didn't say anything for a moment. She really wasn't getting very far with the Queen of Hearts like she hoped. Perhaps a compliment would bring forth a better mood from the queen.

"I'm sure you must be very tired from the match especially after such a splendid victory," Alice said cautiously. The Queen of Hearts could not help but to allow a small smile curl from her lips.

"A marvelous victory indeed!" the White Rabbit added from his hiding place. The Queen of Hearts was much too engulfed in pride to notice the White Rabbit still hiding as she soaked in his compliment.

"It _was _a rather impressive victory, wasn't it?" the queen stated. Both Alice and the White Rabbit nodded to her rhetorical question. "I should play chess more often."

"Indeed you should," the White Rabbit remarked.

"Enough of this chit-chat," the Queen of Hearts added sternly followed by a yawn which she covered with her hand. "Now, is there anything else I may assist you with before I depart?"

"Perhaps you know someone who may help me then?" Alice suggested, relieved that the queen seemed to be in a better mood.

The Queen of Hearts did not say anything for a moment as she sincerely attempted to answer Alice's question. Her fingers strummed against the handle of her throne as she thought. The queen's gaze stared elsewhere as she searched deep in her knowledge of Wonderland. The White Rabbit cautiously came out of his hiding place and was beginning to make his way next to the throne once more. Alice merely stood where she was, her heart pounding all the while.

"The only one who would know such a thing…" the queen began as she was coming out of her daze. "…is the Caterpillar."

"But, no one knows where he is," Alice could not help but to point out.

"I know," the Queen of Hearts replied sternly but there was no longer anger in her voice. "There _is_, however, a way to find him. For, you see, the Caterpillar is not the same as he once was." Alice simply nodded even though she already knew that bit of information. She even attempted to explain the Caterpillar's situation to Lorina just a little while ago but of course, Lorina cut her off before she could finish. "I would suggest making yourself taller until you spot him then shrinking again before you meet with him. It may result in a bit of a goose chase but that's the best advice I can offer."

"Thank you very much Your Excellency," Alice replied as she curtsied once more. She was now one step closer to her goal. "I shall search for the Caterpillar straight away."

"You won't be able to find him at such an hour," the queen replied. "You must wait until morning, I'm afraid." Alice could not help but to frown at this little comment. She wished to see the Caterpillar _now_ as time was of the essence. The more Alice remained in Wonderland, the harder it was to let go. Especially after meeting the White Knight and witnessing Hatter's performance. Still, it could not be helped.

"I shall follow your advice and I thank you once more," Alice said.

"Now, be gone before my mood changes," the Queen of Hearts remarked sternly. Alice instantaneously took the queen's advice and departed the throne room.

Alice was a bit surprised to find Hatter standing by the door waiting for her considering she expected him to burst through the throne room once he arrived. She was even more surprised to find that the March Hare and the Dormouse were not present.

"Where are the others?" Alice inquired as she walked towards Hatter.

"Dormy fell asleep, I'm afraid, so the March Hare brought him home," Hatter explained.

"Oh," was all Alice offered. There was a brief moment of silence. Alice felt unusually awkward standing near Hatter. She guessed this was because she was now alone with him: a perfect opportunity to reveal the reason of her coming here in the first place. Yet, she could not bring herself to tell him. Not yet.

"Will you be going home now?" Hatter inquired.

"Actually, I've got to stay in Wonderland longer than I thought. Being lost in the castle threw my whole schedule off I'm afraid," Alice replied. "And I'm absolutely terrified of going back to the Queen and asking her if I could stay here."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Hatter remarked. "You are welcomed to spend the evening at my home." Alice found her face turn red at this suggestion. Although she had been to Hatter's many times, she had never slept over. That was not a very proper thing even in Wonderland society. It did not take long before Hatter's face was also transforming into a crimson color once he realized what he had suggested. "Or I could walk you to the March Hare's house if that would make you more comfortable."

"Your place would be fine. I wouldn't want to disturb the March Hare when we arrive," Alice replied though her face was still red.

"All right, if that's what you want," Hatter stated as he began to lead Alice out of the Queen of Heart's Palace.

The short walk out of the palace was an awkward one. Both were still a bit embarrassed from the previous conversation. At the very least, Hatter was. Alice was somewhat preoccupied with breaking the news to Hatter. She knew she needed to do this as gently as possible without upsetting Hatter. While Alice continued to ponder her predicament, Hatter was sure Alice was not speaking due to the prior uncomfortable and brief conversation.

By now, everyone had left the palace. The halls were quiet, tranquil even with the only sound being Hatter and Alice's footsteps as they came into contact with the marble floor. While Alice thought about her small (by now it was a large problem though Alice did not think such) predicament, her gaze shifted to the various tapestries once more. Hatter followed her gaze, hoping to break the silence. However, he simply could not think of an interesting conversation that began with the tapestries that hung on the wall. Instead, he focused on Alice all the while speculating whether or not she was going to be visiting Wonderland less. If this were really the case, he wished to spend every moment he could with her (at least, his subconscious mind thought).

Before long, the two were now walking down the marble steps and out into the cool Wonderland night. The stars sparkled brightly with a crescent moon that remarkably resembled the Cheshire Cat's grin. Alice paused to take a deep breath of fresh air as the wind blew lightly. Hatter walked a few paces of head of her before turning to face her. A small pit began to form in the bottom of her stomach as he gazed at her.

"Hatter I-," Alice began.

"Say no more," Hatter replied as he took hold of her wrist. A small grin crawled up his face as he tugged her playfully forward. "You shan't have to worry dear Alice! We're going to have the most wonderful midnight tea party-sleepover in all of Wonderland!" Alice did not know what to say to this as Hatter's mood suddenly changed. Then again, she was grateful for this transformation: she wished nothing more than to have fun when being with Hatter. With this in mind, she giggled in utter delight.

Hatter clearly enjoyed this response as he pulled her further down the path, now excited to arrive home once more. Alice attempted to keep up with Hatter but she was losing energy rapidly to the point where Hatter practically had to drag her onward. Hatter promptly slowed his pace as the two gradually shifted to a steady walk by which time Hatter had let go of Alice's wrist. Alice breathed heavily for a few minutes before yawning.

"Tired?" Hatter offered.

"Very," Alice replied. Yet, although she was tired, Alice could not help but to feel uneasy as the two were once again walking silently together. "You've simply got to tell him now, you may not have another chance," Alice thought.

"But I should hate to ruin the excellent mood he is in," Alice argued with herself. "Not to mention, we are both rather tired and it really is not good to discuss such matters when both parties are tired."

"Enough of these nonsense excuses Alice. Remember what Mary Ann said: no regrets," Alice (though which Alice it was, I have no clue) retorted.

Meanwhile, Hatter was rather uncomfortable once again walking in silence as Alice argued with herself deep inside her mind. Still, Hatter could see from the expression on her face that she was concentrating deeply. He only yearned for Alice to share her thoughts with him in hopes of beginning a conversation of some sort. Cautiously, Hatter took Alice's hand and squeezed lightly as he attempted to bring her back to reality (at least, what was considered reality in Wonderland).

Alice felt the small squeeze and immediately came out of her daze. Her eyes focused on Hatter who gave her a small smile as though to welcome her back to Wonderland. Alice guiltily turned away, dreading to bring up the subject she had just been brooding over. Yet, at the same time, she could not help but to peek out of the corner of her eye towards him.

"Your hair is up," Alice remarked as she noticed this tiny detail. And indeed it was. Hatter's hair was tied in a small ponytail with a lilac-colored ribbon. This observation caused Hatter to become quite puzzled. It took him an instant to comprehend what Alice was talking about. Once he came to this realization, Hatter placed a hand on his ponytail as though he did not know it was there to begin with.

"It's been up this whole time," Hatter finally replied as his hand was once again resting at his side. Alice felt her face turn a shade of red.

"Oh, I hadn't noticed before..." Alice stated as she focused her attention away from him once more. After such scrutiny before in the palace, how could should have missed such a detail?

"Alice..." Hatter began. He waited patiently for her to look in his direction. "I have been thinking about you growing up." Alice became rather nervous upon hearing Hatter's subject of conversation. Her heart began to race and she could feel her body heating up. She concentrated as hard as she could in order to maintain a calm posture as he spoke. "Well, I must confess, I was very upset when you mentioned less visits to Wonderland. But, all the same, as long as you are able to visit Wonderland sometimes, then although it saddens me to imagine such a scenario, your happiness is far more important." Alice desperately fought back the lump in her throat that once again was taking form. "Now, when I say that, I mean it since you are a very good friend of mine," Hatter quickly added, not wanting Alice to get the wrong idea about his statement. However, Alice was far too busy fighting back the tears that were beginning to fog her view. Of course, Hatter was much too engrossed in the conversation

(if it could even be called a conversation) to notice this little detail. "What I'm saying is, it is important for you to grow up and you must do whatever is necessary to achieve this." Alice simply nodded in agreement, afraid to say anything. For, if she were to speak, her voice would be muffled and the tears would be given a perfect opportunity to flow freely.

Alice wrapped her arms around Hatter's arm as they continued to walk forward. Oh, how she wished she could tell him the truth! Guiltily, Alice held onto his arm tighter, resting her head against him. Hatter tensed at these gestures and nearly fell over himself since he had not the slightest idea what was going on although he knew something must be amiss.

"Alice?" Hatter inquired gently. However, there was no response from Alice other than a small tug at his arm. He glimpsed down upon her and, though her eyes were covered by his sleeve, he could see a tear falling down her cheek. "Alice!" Hatter exclaimed, afraid he might have upset her in some way, "what is the matter?"

"It's just..." Alice attempted to begin as she looked up at him, her voice muffled as she suspected. Yet, still, even though the two were alone, she could not bring it upon herself to tell him. "I'm going to miss you so much Hatter," was all she managed to say before she hid her face once more. "Oh, please forgive me for not being able to tell you!" she thought as sadness filled her.

"Don't worry Alice," Hatter replied lightly. "We'll still be able to see one another. And, you can always send me messages through the looking glass. Though, I'm afraid some of them might get lost on the way." Hatter managed a small chuckle at his last comment. He then pulled a handkerchief from his pocket with his free hand and stopped to offer it to her. "Here, wipe your eyes Alice. I hate to see you cry."

Alice obediently wiped her eyes with his handkerchief. It took her a few minutes before she was able to compose herself. Hesitantly, Alice handed the handkerchief back to Hatter before the two continued to walk on. Her now dry eyes were slowly beginning to fall as she yawned. Unhappiness was still filling her as Hatter was still oblivious to everything despite the kindness he had showed her. Yet, Alice was much too tired to continue pondering. Her crying had caused her to become more fatigued than before. Alice rested her head on Hatter's shoulder (at least, as close as she could reach to his shoulder for he was very tall) while they walked. This time Hatter did not seem to mind this gesture as he said nothing.

Alice must have closed her eyes for only a moment (at least, it felt as though only a moment in time had passed) before she felt Hatter gently nudge her.

"We're here," Hatter remarked. Alice opened her eyes to see Hatter's house standing before her. Due to the darkness, the house appeared to be completely normal from the outside. However, Alice very well knew what the _inside_ contained. Normally, Alice would laugh at the thought of such ridiculous decorations Hatter's house possessed. Unfortunately, even such thoughts would not shake the melancholy feelings Alice still encompassed.

Hatter led the way to the front door which was still in its proper position unlike the other doors of the house. Alice was surprised to see lights radiating from the windows. For a moment, she was unable to define why his house was lighting up in such a way. She only hoped Hatter had not left candles lit for that was very dangerous. However, these lights seemed different somehow but she could not pinpoint what that difference was.

It was not until they stepped into the house that she was able to answer her question: the rooms contained a few lights each from electrical currents! Alice had never been able to witness such a thing for electricity in the home was still under development (not that she was aware of such development: she was never particularly interested in science). She curiously walked over towards the light source. It was brighter than candlelight but not radiant enough to fill the entire room with luminosity.

While Alice was fascinated over the light, Hatter was removing his gloves, placing the gloves in a pocket on his frock. He then removed the frock and hung it on a nearby coat rack leaving only his vest and shirt apparent. Hatter was about to remove his hat but ultimately decided against such an action. At first, Hatter did not know where Alice had gone off to however he was quickly able to locate her.

"Do you like it?" Hatter inquired gently as he approached Alice. It was only then did Alice turn away from the light in order to look at Hatter.

"How were you able to obtain such a thing?" Alice asked as politely as possible since she did not want to embarrass herself with the little knowledge she possessed.

"I made it," Hatter replied.

"You_ made_ it?"

"Not _intentionally_ of course. It was while I was in the work shop…You see I was working with the thingamajig..." Hatter began to explain though he fumbled with his explanation. He stopped when he saw Alice provide a puzzled expression and he realized she probably had no clue as to what a thingamajig was. "You know what? I'll _show_ you. Follow me."

Hatter excitedly traveled across the room to a hall. Alice was forced to walk briskly at first for she was not expecting Hatter to leave so suddenly. It was not a long journey as they soon reached a doorway where no door was present that led down a flight of stairs. Alice was forced to move slowly as she descended the stairs due to the darkness but she could hear Hatter practically rushing down the steps.

There was not enough time for Alice to adjust her eyes to the darkness as a bright light soon filled the cellar she was in the process of entering. Strange gizmos, gadgets, and other machinery filled the room. A large assortment of hats ranging from all sizes and colors decorated the cellar. Hatter moved about these various devices and products with an amount of energy Alice had never seen before.

"As I was attempting to explain earlier, I was working with the thingamajig…" Hatter explained as he pointed to the thingamajig. Cogs, pin-levers, springs, and other mechanisms created what Hatter named "thingamajig". "…and all of a sudden, a piece of it began to light. So, naturally curious, I began to play with the thingamajig until I figured out why it lit," Hatter continued as Alice slowly descended the stairs in awe. She could even see the small glass piece of the thingamajig that must have lit up. "Once I discovered this, I've been using the same pieces to light the rest of the house during the evening."

"Why is it that I have never noticed such devices before?" Alice wondered aloud to herself.

"It's most likely due to the fact I only keep them on during the late hours of the evening usually. I knew I would arrive late tonight so I turned them on as a sort of guide," Hatter answered. By now, Alice had reached the edge of the workshop. She cautiously (for she was unaware of how dangerous some of this equipment may be) examined bits of the machinery curiously. Alice noticed most of the machinery in the cellar resembled clock work.

"How do these contraptions work?" Alice inquired once she was unable to determine this on her own.

Without another word, Hatter began to turn on the various devices one by one before standing next to Alice. In a few minutes, the entire room was being consumed by whistles, banging, roaring, and any other sound one could think of. The cellar was now teeming with life as Alice watched hats being produced one by one.

"How long have you had these machines?" Alice inquired in amazement as the machines went about their work creating different types of hats.

"My first one was most definitely before I met you," Hatter remarked, attempting to figure the appropriate year. "Otherwise, I would not be able to have tea as often as I do."

"This must be why Hatter's hands are so smooth," Alice thought. "And no wonder he has time to enjoy tea and learn the piano." Still, Alice could not help but to feel slightly glum. She was so sure she knew Hatter and yet she was discovering there were so many aspects to him that she did_ not_ know. Was there more to be learned of him?

Despite the excitement and fascination that had filled the atmosphere, Alice could not help but to let out another small yawn. Hatter could not help but to smile at this.

"Well, that's a bit of enough excitement for one evening, don't you agree?" Hatter remarked as he once more traveled to the machines. Alice waited patiently for a few moments as he turned off the various devices. It wasn't until he ceased the light source that the two were ascending the stairs. Now more calmly, Hatter led Alice through the rest of his home until he came to a stop in front of another doorway with no door. "You may stay here for the night. We're lucky I have two guest bedrooms."

Alice was unsure what Hatter had meant by his last comment but none the less stepped into her room. Too tired to analyze the entire layout of the room, Alice merely checked to see if the bed was in proper order. She was pleased to find that it was.

"Thank you," Alice replied as she turned to face Hatter.

"The pleasure is all mine," Hatter responded. "Oh, I almost forgot, there are extra clothes in the drawers. I imagine it to be rather uncomfortable for you if you were to sleep in your current attire." As if commanded, Alice walked to the dresser. Clocks and teacups decorated the top of the dresser as well as a small light source. Alice carefully opened one of the draws to find a ray of hats resting in it. "It's the very last drawer," Hatter said, feeling rather embarrassed for Alice gave a look that clearly demonstrated it was not proper to place hats in drawers as he had done. Obediently, Alice leaned down to the very last drawer, opening it to find a few loose shirts. She carefully took a light blue out so as not to disrupt the other shirts that lay neatly in the drawer before rising from her position. "If you would feel more comfortable, I can re-attach a door for you though you will be locked in I'm afraid."

"It's all right. I'll manage," Alice said, smiling.

"If you need anything, I'll be just down the hall," Hatter remarked as he began to take his leave. Alice simply nodded before Hatter departed. Alice waited a few moments to hear Hatter's footsteps gradually die down. She began to remove her pinafore as Hatter suddenly poked his head in the doorway, nearly knocking his hat off. The action occurred so quickly, Alice jumped as she clasped her pinafore close to her. "I almost forgot," Hatter said sheepishly, giving an apologetic look. "Goodnight Alice."

"Goodnight Hatter," Alice replied as her body released the tension that was currently present. Once again, Hatter strode down the hall leaving Alice alone in her room.

Alice waited a little longer in case Hatter should return. When he did not, Alice changed into the overly large shirt she had been given. At least, it was overly large for a girl of her size. She had no doubt that the shirt belonged to Hatter. As Alice wore his shirt, she felt Hatter must be taller than he looked for the shirt ended halfway below her knee. It was not the most comfortable thing she had ever worn to bed but, as Hatter had said, it was more comfortable than wearing her dress.

Quietly, Alice crawled into bed and curled up in a ball. She closed her eyes as she smelled Hatter's scent on the sleeve of her shirt. It smelt like tea and cakes and for a moment she could not help but to smile at this. However, that smile soon faded away.

"Hatter has been so kind to me and yet I can not bring myself to tell him about my leaving Wonderland," Alice thought. Her thoughts were no longer frantic but rather calm with a tone of melancholy as she was beginning to fall asleep. "I could always tell him in the morning I suppose...no, I simply cannot keep putting this off. I must tell him now. Oh, but I am awfully tired...."

Before the sleepy, procrastinating Alice could drift into sleep, Alice forced the other side of herself out of bed. Her bare feet did not feel the least bit cold as the air was warm in the room. Calmly, Alice walked out of her room, the floor creaking beneath her as she proceeded to Hatter's room in the dark. She did not have to walk more than a minute before she reached his doorway.

"Hatter," Alice called softly, not wanting to intrude. It did not take Hatter very long to appear in the doorway with a candle lit. He was wearing his own nightgown with a small hat at the top that quite ironically also contained a small tag on it. Although it was fairly hard to see, Alice could clearly distinguish a sudden change in Hatter's expression as his face turned bright red. For a moment, Alice was not entirely sure why such an expression was necessary. It wasn't until Hatter forced his eyes to travel away from her that it dawned on her.

"Oh dear me!" Alice thought as she felt her own face turning red. "I have forgotten I am not in my proper sleeping attire!" Poor Alice became so embarrassed she had forgotten the whole reason why she had walked to Hatter's room in the first place. The two stood in the doorway awkwardly for a few minutes, neither brave enough to say a word.

"You called?" Hatter finally managed to say, still not daring to look in her direction.

"Oh...well yes actually," Alice began, her words fumbling greatly, "I...I..." But she was much too embarrassed to even think of that now! "I will tell him in the morning, most definitely morning," Alice reassured herself. "I...didn't know how to turn the light off in my room," Alice lied as she pushed her hair back behind her ear.

"I will go and turn it off for you," Hatter said awkwardly, still not looking at her. He shielded his eyes with a hand as he walked passed Alice. Once Alice was behind him, he removed the hand from his eyes and went to her room. Alice quietly followed behind. When they reached her room, Hatter quickly turned off the light, most likely afraid of seeing Alice again in such attire.

"Thank you," Alice said in the darkness.

"You're very welcome," Hatter managed to say. Alice could see from his silhouette that he was still terrified to look in her direction. "Well...goodnight."

"Goodnight," Alice replied, still equally embarrassed. Not another word was spoken as the two departed. Alice once again found herself crawling in bed. This time, she quickly placed the covers over herself. She took a small amount of time to hug herself, embarrassed and disappointed. Hatter's scent encompassed her as she drifted off to sleep, still holding herself

* * *

_Hatter's inventive personality comes from the American McGee version minus the creepy scientist portion of course =D. _

_The Queen of Hearts red hair is from the Looking Glass Wars and I believe the Tim Burton version has one of the queens with red hair as well. Though, I really do think it makes more sense for her to have red hair. It just fits her personality so well. _

_The light bulb did not begin commercialization until 1879. Therefore, Alice would not have a light bulb in her home at age 15 (assuming she is 7 in 1865). I checked. Unless Wikipedia lied to me, which you never know. _

_Those are all the facts for now. Terribly sorry but most of this chapter ended up being completely spontaneous which I think is wonderful but at the same time a rather let down on the amount of facts I'm able to show off...I mean share with all of you =D.  
_


	6. Tweet Dee Dum

_Greetings everyone! I am terribly sorry for such a late update but school has been consuming my life. With this in mind, I will keep this introduction as short as possible. Hmm...well, I can't seem to remember what I wanted to say other than I encourage people to keep reading this story, reviewing it, and criticizing it (as long as the criticism is constructive of course). Honestly, I never expected this story to do as well as it has thus far and I only hope it continues to succeed and entertain as many readers as possible. Thank you!  
_**

* * *

Tweet Dee Dum **

Alice awoke with the smell of butter and tarts filling her nostrils. She slowly opened her eyes as Hatter's guest room came into view. The sun peeked through a nearby window, casting light across the bedroom. Alice sat up in her bed, gazing around. She did not look for very long as the smell in the air was luring her towards its source.

Alice crawled out of bed as she stretched her arms into the air, yawning. She then calmly walked to the window where light was seeping in. Normally she'd stare out into the distance, admiring the view (especially since she was now in Wonderland). However, after the rather embarrassing event the prior evening, Alice quickly drew the curtains forward. Lucky for her, she did not bother to point out to herself that the curtains had been opened the night before while she had changed into her sleeping attire.

It only took a few minutes for Alice to change into yesterday's attire. She then turned her attention to a mirror hanging above the dresser (which happened to be hanging upside down). Her hair was rather messy. Alice stared disapprovingly at the image she saw before her. She searched through some of the drawers in hopes of finding a brush of some sort. Along the way, she came across teacups, hats, plates, forks, clocks, and other such objects. Unfortunately, among the treasures hidden in the drawers, a brush was not one of them. Instead of continuing her search, for the smell was causing Alice to become very impatient, Alice simply stroked her hair with her fingers before exiting her room.

The smell was leading Alice to what she assumed was Hatter's kitchen. Surprisingly, the kitchen was rather spacious. Hatter, who was fully clothed-hat and all-, was busy preparing a meal when Alice finally arrived. She recognized the chairs from the large table in Hatter's garden were now positioned in their proper places by the kitchen table. Alice was not surprised to find tea accessories decorating the kitchen table.

Before Alice took a seat at the table, she made sure to wash her hands. This action finally caused Hatter to notice someone else was in the room with him. He smiled brightly upon seeing Alice.

"You're just in time for breakfast," Hatter remarked.

"I suppose I am," Alice replied, returning the smile.

"How did you sleep?" Hatter inquired politely. He did not dare to bring up the incident that had taken place just before the two had departed for the night.

"Very well, thank you for asking," Alice answered as she watched Hatter continuing to prepare breakfast. At the moment, he was busy mixing some ingredients but the mixture was so obscure, Alice had no clue as to what he was concocting. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Actually, would you kindly fetch some eggs for me?" Hatter inquired as he pointed in the direction of the eggs. It was then that Alice noticed there was yet another creature present in the room: a chicken! A chicken was sitting calmly in a nest that hung in the corner of the room. The chicken clucked upon seeing Alice's gaze fixed on her: she thought it very rude to be stared at. Normally, she would point this little fact out to people however she knew it was not very polite to be rude to guests even if they themselves were rude.

"How curious!" Alice exclaimed as she fixated on the chicken, drawing closer. "How am I supposed to fetch eggs from a chicken?" Alice wondered.

"Simply ask her for some eggs Alice. And do be kind, she has been known to deny a request," Hatter answered, as though reading Alice's mind. Unless, of course, Alice had unknowingly spoken her last statement aloud in which case, Hatter's statement was not so unusual. Timidly, Alice stepped just a bit closer so that she was face to face with the chicken.

"Umm...pardon me miss but may I please have an egg?" Alice asked as politely as possible. The chicken clucked once more as if to answer Alice but Alice was unable to speak in the same language chickens do and thus was unaware of what the chicken had said. However, in just a few short minutes, an egg was falling from the nest (as there was a small hole) and into a basket located just a few inches away from the chicken's sleeping quarters. Alice waited another few minutes for a second egg to fall before taking them both out of the basket. "Thank you very much," Alice made sure to add as she cautiously traveled across the kitchen to hand Hatter the eggs.

"Well done," Hatter remarked upon seeing the eggs. "Normally, I am only able to get half an egg out of her." Alice was rather puzzled by Hatter's statement. How was it possible to acquire only half an egg from a chicken? Then again, she _was_ in Wonderland.

Alice noticed Hatter was rather busy with his current task and thus took it upon herself to crack the eggs for Hatter. She was rather pleased that she managed to allow no eggshells to pass into the dish considering she was forced to crack them at such an awkward position.

"Why did you do that?" Hatter inquired after Alice had finished.

"Do what?" Alice returned confusingly.

"Why did you crack the eggs?" Hatter asked, now being the one confused.

"Are you not supposed to crack the eggs before you place them in a dish?" Alice inquired.

"Well, I've never heard of such a thing," Hatter answered. This left Alice once again puzzled by Hatter's cooking techniques. Yet, at the same time, she could not help but to laugh a little.

"Well, you _are_ supposed to crack the egg. I don't believe eggshells taste very pleasant," Alice remarked. Hatter frowned at her remark, no doubt offended as he wholeheartedly believed his cooking was superb. "But...I do suppose eggshells _can_ taste delicious when used properly," Alice added upon seeing Hatter's frown.

"Now Alice, since the table is all set and I am nearly finished, I'd greatly appreciate it if you relaxed for a bit. You are my guest after all," Hatter insisted. Alice was unsure if Hatter said this to be hospitable or if he no longer wanted her criticizing his cooking. Either way, Alice decided it best to find her seat at the table as she waited for Hatter to finish.

Alice's fingers traced lightly against the wooden table as she looked over to see how Hatter was coming along. A part of her was still fascinated with his cooking and wished to learn more. Yet, at the same time she knew she would end up condemning Hatter once more and that was not a very polite way to treat a host.

It turned out Hatter had been telling the truth: breakfast was ready in just a few short moments. Hatter brought forth a teapot ("For, what breakfast is complete without tea?" he said) filled to the brim with the warm liquid Hatter adored. He graciously poured three cups (why three instead of two Alice did not know). Once beverages had been served, Hatter placed a plate of pancakes on the table. They were the most delicious looking pancakes Alice had ever seen! The pancakes appeared light and fluffy with whipped cream and strawberries decorating the top. Their smell seemed ten times more wonderful than when Alice had first come into contact with the scent.

Alice guiltily (for the pancakes looked ever so pretty) took the top pancake and placed it on her plate. Hatter followed the same gesture. Alice kindly offered Hatter a bit of her whipped cream and strawberries to which Hatter received gratefully. He managed to place a bit of his share of whip cream and strawberries on the third plate with an empty chair.

"Hatter, I will never doubt your cooking ever again," Alice remarked after she had taken the first bite of her meal.

"Well, to be honest, they _do_ taste a bit better without the eggshells," Hatter confessed after he had taken his own bite. "Though I am glad you like them."

"Like them? I _love_ them," Alice teased.

"I'm even _gladder_ now," Hatter returned playfully. Some time passed before either one made a notion to say anything. The two were much too busy engaging in their current meal (which was so delicious I wish I could have had a bit of it!). Hatter made sure to provide a portion of the meal to the chicken. The chicken clucked with glee at the taste so much so that a few eggs fell into the small basket located under the nest. Alice laughed at this: she only wished the chickens in England were this happy. It had been a rather cheerful morning: and a mad one at that. "Alice," Hatter finally said. "I am sorry for what happened last night."

"There's no need to apologize. It was entirely my fault," Alice replied though she could not help but to blush at Hatter's comment.

"Oh no, I was not referring to _that_," Hatter remarked frantically. "I was talking about what happened on the way here."

Alice grimaced at the reminder. She had nearly forgotten all about it. A part of her wished Hatter had not brought it up despite his intentions for now she was remembering what she had told herself last night: that she would tell Hatter about leaving Wonderland in the morning. But it had been such a lovely morning and now such thoughts were bringing it to ruin.

"Maybe later," Alice thought.

"Not later, now. You've got to tell him _now_," she argued.

Alice must have been frowning during this small argument with herself for Hatter then stated, "It really was not my intention to upset you Alice. Really." He slumped in his chair a bit as he said this, afraid he had upset her once more by bringing the subject up again. But she had been terribly upset. The last time he saw her cry was when she was nine or so after the White Rabbit was in such a rush, he knocked a gift Alice had made for her mother into the mouth of a dangerous dandelion. The only thing left to do was retrieve it and of course this left Hatter with cuts and bruises for weeks.

"I know," Alice finally said. It was an awkward statement as the two had been traveling within their own thoughts and had nearly forgotten the conversation at hand. "Either way, it was not your fault. I'm just…upset about the whole situation."

"I can imagine," Hatter replied. Alice was about to continue speaking until Hatter arose from his seat. "Well, now if we continue to dilly-dally here, we shall be late for the March Hare's tea party.

"Hatter…" Alice was about to tell him everything, everything about leaving Wonderland and her growing up and the two of them never being able to see each other. But Hatter's insistence that the conversation be moved to something happier caused Alice to change her mind once more. Now, Alice was stuck midway through a statement, her mouth still open. "…I'm afraid I shan't be able to attend the tea party. The Queen of Hearts has sent me on an important mission."

"What sort of mission?" Hatter inquired out of curiosity. The idea of an adventure was rather exciting. "Do you need to send a message because if that's the case, I should accompany you. We need one for going and one for coming back after all."

"No, no, it isn't a delivery," Alice said as she fumbled with her words. "It's…it's a top secret mission and only I'm allowed to go. I may get in trouble just by mentioning it. You mustn't tell anyone or the Queen will surely have my head," Alice fabricated.

"My lips are sealed," Hatter replied.

"Now I best be going if I wish to complete the mission," Alice stated as she was now arising from her seat and exiting Hatter's house. "Oh, do give everyone my regards."

"Yes, of course, but Alice I do believe…" Hatter began but once more Alice was gone. Hatter sighed then looked towards the seat in which he had placed another meal. "I suppose she has forgotten you again," he said to the stuffed bunny named Milo who was sitting silently in the seat. Alice had not been able to see him due to his small stature. Still, Hatter expected Alice to at least remember Milo considering she was his guest. Clearly, she was not being a very good hostess. "I _am_ a little disappointed you failed to offer anything to the conversation or at least try the meal I made for you," Hatter pointed out. "It is rather rude you know. Though I suppose it is a rabbit thing or whatever the March Hare said yesterday." Hatter then took Milo by the hand and began to walk out the door just as Alice had done moments ago. "Now, we best be off or we shall be terribly late for the March Hare's tea party."

**OoOoOoOo**

"Alice, you are being quite rude if I do say so myself," Alice nagged to herself as she was leaving Hatter's house with only a brief goodbye.

But what else was she supposed to do? Every time she felt ready to tell him, something inside her took over to the point where she was no longer able to confront Hatter. And it was always when Hatter was present. When he was playing away at the piano during the concert, her confession to Dormy was painful but at the same time it felt as though the confession passed through her like a light breeze. It always felt easier to tell someone about her departing Wonderland when_ he_ wasn't around.

"He makes everything so difficult," Alice reasoned.

"_You_ make everything so difficult," she chastised back to herself.

Still, she could not help but wonder why telling Hatter was so complex. Perhaps it was because she did not want to hurt someone she loved. But she loved Dormy, Mary Ann, the White Knight, and everyone else in Wonderland. A part of her even loved the dangerous Queen of Hearts and the rude White Rabbit in a queer sort of way. So, what made Hatter any different?

"He is rather curious, I declare," Alice stated aloud.

Before Alice could ponder any longer, the Dormouse was coming into view. It was strange to see the Dormouse awake much less _walking_. He looked to be in a dreamlike state with his eyes barely open, his paws in front of him as though to prevent him from hitting anything. He yawned, rubbing his eyes as his mouth came to a close. But above all, the Dormouse was moving very slow. His appearance reminded Alice of a person who is sleepwalking.

"Hello, Alice," the Dormouse said, his eyes now shut completely.

"Hello," Alice replied. "Are you going to the March Hare's tea party?"

"That I am…," the Dormouse replied, trailing off. Alice's first guess was the Dormouse had fallen asleep during the conversation however it did not take long before Alice concluded the Dormouse was thinking about what to say next. "And where might you be off to?"

Alice paused at the question before answering, "I am on my way in search of the Caterpillar."

"…Alice, have you told Hatter and the March Hare yet?" Alice bit her lip at the Dormouse's question. For a while, she refused to answer. It was rather shameful of her to have left such important matters go this far without informing Hatter and the March Hare. Yet, as shameful as it was, she could not lie to the Dormouse. That would offer far worse consequences.

"No," Alice finally stated. The Dormouse sighed heavily at Alice's answer. "I _will_ tell them," Alice insisted, "I just need more time."

"Well, you haven't got much time left, Alice," the Dormouse pointed out. "Either way, there is no point arguing over the matter. It _is_ your choice after all. Now, if you'll excuse me, my own time is running out."

"Once I have finished speaking with the Caterpillar, I will come straight to the tea party and I will inform everyone then," Alice insisted gently. However, the Dormouse said nothing. He merely nodded to indicate she had his trust. "Please, don't tell them where I am going. I don't want to worry them."

"I shan't tell them a word," the Dormouse replied. "Besides…I am feeling rather drowsy…" It was now that the Dormouse was beginning to slip into a deep sleep. "I must be hurrying," he said as he continued to walk on for it would be dreadful if he fell asleep on the way there. "Good day Alice."

"Good day," Alice replied. She watched as the Dormouse gradually left her view as she was worried about him falling asleep in a dangerous location. Luckily, he appeared to be just fine and Alice was marching forward.

Alice waited until she was well away from Hatter's house before she removed a mushroom from her pocket. It was a small, white mushroom and she gazed at it for a while as she attempted to determine whether this particular mushroom would make her grow larger or smaller for she had forgotten which pocketful of mushrooms created the appropriate size. Realizing this was not going to answer her question, Alice nibbled lightly at the mushroom in her hand. She paused, lingering to see which size would overtake her. Luckily, the mushroom caused Alice to grow an inch or two. Seeing as how this was the correct mushroom, Alice bit into it once more.

Alice continued to nibble at the mushroom until she was high in the air. She slowly allowed her eyes to travel amongst her new surroundings in search of the Caterpillar. A frown began to form as the Caterpillar was not in sight. Only a few minutes of searching had passed before Alice was becoming impatient. She tapped her foot in irritation, forgetting this may hurt some poor creature passing by.

"This _will _take forever," Alice thought as her eyes desperately continued searching.

Finally, after some time, Alice's frown literally turned upside down as her eyes came upon the Caterpillar.

"There he is!" Alice exclaimed even though there was no one to tell this information to. "Why, he's just past the forest." As quickly as she could, Alice bit into the other mushroom so that she may be able to shrink. She did not have much time before the Caterpillar may decide to move. Once she had retained her normal size, Alice practically plunged herself into the depths of the forest.

**OoOoOoOoO**

Hatter sat in a chair that most likely came from the March Hare's living room. To his left sat the March Hare who was seated in a large, comfortable, brown chair. The March Hare was busy applying butter to a slice of butterfly bread. To Hatter's right sat the ever silent Milo, staring fixated at the scenery before him, not daring to gaze around. The Dormouse sleepily sat next to Milo, his head resting against the pink tablecloth.

"So...you say Alice told you she couldn't attend the tea party due to the fact she was on an important mission for the Queen of Hearts?" the March Hare repeated once he finished buttering his bread. Hatter had told the tale of Alice's absence just moments ago.

"That's right," Hatter replied shortly before taking a sip of his tea.

"But Hatter, that doesn't make any sense!" the March Hare exclaimed. "Why would the Queen of Hearts send Alice on an important mission? Why not send one of the high ranking soldiers?"

"Well, how should _I _know why the Queen of Hearts chose Alice?" Hatter returned.

"Hatter, I hate to say this but I believe Alice lied to you," the March Hare said frankly, frowning.

"Alice would never lie to me," Hatter immediately responded defensively not to mention slightly hurt at such a ridiculous suggestion.

"Well then, explain to me why the Queen of Hearts would send Alice on a top secret mission when she isn't even fond of Alice to begin with," the March Hare pointed out. Hatter opened his mouth to provide an answer but was forced to close it upon realizing he had no answer. He took some time to think over what the March Hare had offered. As the March Hare's hypothesis became more logical, Hatter's expression changed from one of joy to grim.

"But...why would she lie to me?" Hatter thought aloud. Alice had never done such a thing like that. Then again, she clearly had not been acting herself lately. Yet, why she was acting strangely, Hatter had no clue.

"I don't know," the March Hare replied sadly. "But the real question is where did Alice go?"

The Dormouse's heart began to beat rapidly upon hearing the conversation now taking form. He only hoped the March Hare and Hatter were unable to notice the nervousness beginning to consume him.

"There must be someone who knows..." Hatter trailed off, attempting to think of anyone who could possibly offer them information. The Dormouse felt his legs quiver slightly. He wanted desperately to open his eyes and see his surroundings; however, he was too terrified to draw suspicion to himself.

"Yes...now that you mention it, I believe someone here may know the answer we're seeking," the March Hare continued. The Dormouse gulped at this last remark.

"I mustn't tell, I mustn't tell. No matter what they do, I mustn't tell!" the Dormouse frantically thought to himself. He could no longer help it: he must open his eyes to see what was happening. Slowly, his eyelids lifted above his beady eyes, terrified to find Hatter and the March Hare staring directly at him.

"Well Milo, what do you have to say for yourself?" Hatter inquired as the Dormouse was able to comprehend his surroundings. Both Hatter and the March Hare were staring in Milo's direction, awaiting his answer. The Dormouse sighed with relief, once again drifting off into sleep.

**OoOoOoO**

Alice was now deep within the forest. She gazed among the various vegetation in hopes of finding some sort of way to navigate through the forest. Unfortunately for her, Wonderland vegetation is quite different than England's vegetation. For instance, moss never points north but instead south east. Of course, Alice was unaware of this fact thus her attempt to navigate using moss was futile. Alice then tried to use the sky as a guide. However, the forest was now so dense she could barely see the sky above her.

"I do believe I am lost," Alice said aloud. She was now beginning to think she should have attended the tea party instead of attempting this wild goose chase. If she was lost now, she would never get to the Caterpillar in time. "Well, there must be someone in this forest who will be able to help me."

Alice continued through the forest in hopes of finding someone, anyone, to aid her. Eventually, she was able to hear a clanging sound in the far distance. Alice paused to make sure she had not imagined the sound. Sure enough, a few seconds later, more clanging could be heard.

"I wonder who that could be," Alice thought as she traveled towards the source of the noise. The closer she reached, the louder the noise became. It began to sound as though metal was clashing against metal along with shouts of anger. The detail of the sounds only made Alice the more curious.

Finally, Alice was able to see two people sparring with one another. The two figures looked to be the same height with one wearing a pan on his head, the other a pot. Both the pan and pot covered their eyes so they were both unable to see her approaching much less one another. Alice was amazed they were able to make contact with one another at all. One figure hit the other in the stomach (which was protected with a barrel) with the flat side of a sword. The other was forced a few paces back from the blow only to strike his opponent with another sword (he too, hit his opponent with the flat side of the weapon). Luckily, the opponent did not appear injured as he was wearing a pillow for protection.

"Excuse me," Alice eventually stated, hoping to gain their attention. However, the two were much too busy fighting to hear Alice's meek statement. "Excuse me!" Alice called a little louder, this time grabbing their attention. Both figures ceased fighting and removed their helmets (at least what they were using as helmets). Once their helmets had been removed, it was clear Alice was in the presence of twins with auburn hair. Their bright, emerald eyes beamed at Alice.

"Alice!" both exclaimed in unison.

"Hello," Alice replied as she smiled at Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. "May I inquire as to why you two were fighting?"

"Well, he started it," one of the twins replied. Alice was not entirely sure if this was Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dum who had spoken. She did know it was the one who was wearing a pillow for protection.

"Did not!" the other insisted.

"You did too!" the first one to speak retorted.

"Perhaps this was not the best question to ask," Alice said. The two ceased their bickering having heard Alice's comment. For now, the twins decided it was best to set aside their differences in order to speak with Alice. After all, many people did not visit the two in the forest. It was rather refreshing to have someone to talk to besides each other.

"So tell us Alice..." the one twin wearing the pillow began.

"...what brings you here?" the other finished.

"Well, I'm attempting to reach the end of the forest but I've seemed to have lost my way. Would you be so kind as to show me the exit?" Alice answered.

"Of course we can help you..." the one twin with the barrel for a shield replied.

"..but first..." the other continued.

"Let's play a game!" both exclaimed in unison. Alice could not help but to smile at their enthusiasm. Yet at the same time, she prayed this game would not take up too much of her time. Knowing them, the game could take a substantial amount of time due to their constant arguing with one another.

"I would love to play a game but I really must be getting to the edge of the forest," Alice replied as politely as possible.

However, both twins merely provided a devilish grin as they chanted:

"_Oh Alice, Alice, _

_Can't you see?_

_We wish to play_

_The which one of us _

_Is Tweedle Dee _

_game!_"

"Oh, but I don't know which one of you is Tweedle Dee," Alice replied, her impatience growing.

"Then guess!" both cried. Alice attempted to study the twins in hopes of finding some sort of clue as to who was who. However, both were simply too identical. It did not further help that their bodies were covered with armor so there was no way for her to see their name tags.

"Are you Tweedle Dee?" Alice inquired, pointing to the twin on her left seeing as there was no way for her to make an educational guess. The twin she pointed to grinned widely at her answer.

"I'm Tweedle Dum!" Tweedle Dum exclaimed.

"Well, then I suppose I was wrong," Alice replied. "Now will you please direct me out of the forest?"

"You weren't wrong Alice, _I'm_ Tweedle Dum," the other twin who was Tweedle Dee but now Tweedle Dum stated.

"But he just said..." Alice began, becoming rather puzzled.

"No, no, _he's_ Tweedle Dee and _I'm_ Tweedle Dum," the original Tweedle Dum insisted.

"Brother, I am ever so certain that _you_ are Tweedle Dee and Alice has guessed correctly," Tweedle Dee who was not Tweedle Dee but Tweedle Dum persisted.

"Oh, I don't have time for this," Alice finally stated once she realized the two were not going to cease their argument. It was rather strange watching the two argue for this long. Sometimes, Alice felt as though they were both one person arguing with themselves all the time. "Such a silly thing to argue with oneself," Alice thought as she left Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum to argue over who was who as she continued her search for the Caterpillar.

* * *

_Oh poor Milo. I feel as though so many forgot about you. Please feel free to correct me! _

_The only other comment I will make so far (I can always edit this later) is that Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum are inspired by Hikaru and Kaoru from Ouran High School Host Club (which also has an Alice in Wonderland filler episode). The small rhythm actually partially comes from the show as well.  
_

* * *


	7. Who Are You?

_Hello readers! First of all, I would like to apologize for my lack of updates. However, college has completely consumed me. I haven't even begun to have a social life, it's all school work! I'm becoming completely bombarded and by the time when the day comes to an end, I am simply too tired to continue writing the story. Despite this, I have some how managed to finish the next chapter on the rare days when I'm not tired. Anyway, this chapter is a bit shorter than the previous chapters only because I decided it would be best to hold off on a section that was originally supposed to be in this chapter. I hope you will all have the time to continue reading this story and, if not, I completely understand. Just don't forget about it as more Alice in Wonderland related goodness comes into our hands! The last installment of the Looking Glass Wars will be released in just a few short days! That means I only have that much time to finish playing Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days! And then in December, the new SciFi (I refuse to use the new name for this channel =p) series will be out followed by Tim Burton goodness. Just talking about it makes me want to go watch the teaser trailer all over again. Terribly sorry for the tangent I just went off on. Either way, reviews are encouraged in addition to constructive criticism! Enjoy!  
_**

* * *

Who Are You?**

Having no assistance from Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dum, Alice finally managed to find her way out of the forest thanks to a deer. The young buck was a magnificent creature and Alice had been surprised by his willingness to walk towards her. Along their short walk, for Alice had managed to be located close to the exit, she was able to learn he had guided her out of the forest before. Of course, this caused Alice to feel quite uncomfortable: it was rather embarrassing to forget someone who had been so kind to her in the past.

The buck came to a slow stop. His hooves carried him a few paces ahead of Alice before stopping again. His antlers glistened in the sun as he turned his head, examining the surroundings.

"This is where I leave you," the buck said. "The exit is just beyond those trees." His head drifted towards the edge of the forest where the exit lay.

"Thank you very much," Alice replied even though she knew there would not be a next time.

"Farewell," was all the buck said before he quietly slipped back into the depths of the forest. Alice returned the buck's favor however the buck never indicated such a comment had been delivered.

Alice stared dreamily towards the last bit of trees, hesitant to step forward. There was a very good chance the Caterpillar had now left, forcing her to start the search all over: an idea Alice was not very fond of.

Alice crept slowly towards the exit. If the Caterpillar was there, she would need to be as still as possible otherwise she might scare him away due to her size. Alice carefully pushed back a few branches so the edge of the forest came into view. The grass was mid-height, surrounding the horizon. A large rock rested just a few meters away from the edge of the forest. Bright red mushrooms grew around the rock though there were signs the mushrooms were spreading out and away from the rock. Sitting on one of the mushrooms that was close to the rock was the Caterpillar.

Alice sighed with relief and removed a mushroom from her pocket. She nibbled at it as the forest began to grow to an immense size. By the end of this process, she was a mere three inches height. The trees now appeared to touch the sky. The twigs and branches surrounding the area were as tall as carriages, some higher. With great difficulty, Alice maneuvered passed the various branches as she desperately tried to reach the Caterpillar.

**OoOoOoOoOo**

"We're going to ask you one last time: Where. Is. Alice?" Hatter demanded as the March Hare and himself were still in the process of grilling Milo until he revealed Alice's location. Milo sat innocently in his chair that was now separated from the table, staring off into the direction of the Dormouse. The Dormouse used all his strength to refrain from shaking in terror as he witnessed Milo's interrogation.

"He's still not talking," the March Hare confirmed. "Listen Milo, we don't wish to harm you. We are just concerned as to where Alice is," the March Hare added in a gentle tone, clearly portraying the role of the "good" cop.

"She could very well be in danger and yet you act so calm and collective as though nothing serious is happening!" Hatter exclaimed accusingly at Milo, waving his arms towards the sky.

"Hatter, calm down. This is no time to panic," the March Hare remarked. He really never understood why Hatter was always so over dramatic about these types of situations.

"This is the perfect time to panic!" Hatter retorted, now drawing his attention away from Milo. The Dormouse was relieved by this small argument yet his heart continued to beat rapidly. Oh he only hoped poor Milo would be found innocent! However, the odds of this were unlikely as Wonderland policy was "guilty until proven innocent".

"Don't be ridiculous! It's still _tea_ time you fool," the March Hare replied, now becoming irritated by Hatter's performance.

"Can't you see he is trying to pin the two of us against one another?" Hatter stated as he pointed towards Milo who sat calmly in his seat. The March Hare faced Milo as he hoped to understand Hatter's accusation. If Milo was truly that diabolical, it would be present in his facial expression.

"You're absolutely right!" the March Hare exclaimed. The two now glared down at Milo. "So, thought you could pull a fast one, eh?"

"Oh dear, this not good. Definitely not good," the Dormouse thought to himself as he recalled a time when both the March Hare and Hatter would attempt to stuff him in a teapot when they were either not happy with him or wanted information. He wished Milo was not about to suffer the same fate.

"Prepare the teapot!" Hatter declared as his eyes remained on Milo in hopes of catching some sort of reaction. The March Hare quickly ran to the table and grabbed a light yellow teapot. However, much to the surprise of Hatter and the March Hare, there was still no reaction from Milo. But this did not stop the two as the March Hare prepared his torture device. The Dormouse gulped as he saw Hatter bring Milo's chair closer to the table once more.

"If you don't want to be forced down the teapot, tell us where Alice is," the March Hare demanded.

"Tell them something, even if it is a lie Milo!" the Dormouse thought frantically as Milo continued to remain silent.

"He's still not talking," the March Hare declared. "Throw him in the teapot!" Hatter obediently picked Milo up and was about to stuff Alice's guest into the teapot.

"Wait!" the Dormouse shouted, his heart nearly about to burst. The torture was simply too much! How could he possibly allow someone else to suffer such a fate when he was guilty from the start? "Alice, please forgive me," the Dormouse thought.

Hatter and the March Hare immediately looked towards the Dormouse, both equally surprised by his outburst.

"I know where Alice is."

**OoOoOoOoOoOo**

Alice paused to catch her breath as she finally passed the last of the branches, now finding herself standing amongst blades of grass. She could only stop for a minute or so before she was forced to continue onward, pushing the grass aside. The grass was tall to the point where Alice had to stand on her tip toes in order to navigate through the field. The sun was currently beaming down upon her fair hair. Mushrooms were coming into view however Alice could not simply push them aside and instead walked around them. This became increasingly difficult as the number of mushrooms continued to grow with each passing step.

As Alice walked in the direction of the rock, she could see the Caterpillar sitting comfortably on a mushroom. The end of his proboscis rested in a lavender hookah as his large, silver compound eyes stared off into another world of possible deep thought or utter nonsense. His two antennae swung about wildly while his blue-black wings lay still as he inhaled whatever was contained in the hookah. To Alice's great relief, the _butterfly_ looked as though he planned to stay where he was for some time.

Alice's nose twitched slightly at the smell of smoke as she was now standing directly in front of the Caterpillar (although the Caterpillar had transformed into a butterfly, the citizens of Wonderland still referred to him as the Caterpillar). The Caterpillar inhaled from the hookah, smoke escaping from his pedipalps. She stood politely, waiting for the Caterpillar to acknowledge her presence. However, the Caterpillar continued to smoke his hookah, not taking any such notice in her.

"Excuse me," Alice finally said. After all, she could not wait all day for the Caterpillar to finally acknowledge her presence.

"Who are you?" the Caterpillar inquired.

"Perhaps you must have forgotten me-," Alice began.

"I never forget," the Caterpillar replied shortly before continuing to smoke his hookah. Alice decided it was best to not say anything for the moment. Instead, she watched him for a few minutes, waiting for him to continue the conversation. The Caterpillar's eyes once again focused on her. "Who are you?" he repeated rudely, smoke engulfing Alice's face. Alice brushed the smoke away with her hand, coughing as the substance filled her lungs.

"My name is Alice," Alice replied once she had successfully sent the smoke away, not bothering to argue that the two had already met, several times actually.

"I know your name," the Caterpillar remarked sternly. Alice tilted her head in confusion as she attempted to understand his words. If the Caterpillar knew her name, then what was the point of such a question to begin with?

"What do you mean then?" Alice inquired. The Caterpillar once again refrained from answering immediately. He took a few minutes to smoke. Due to her impatience, Alice was about to begin tapping her foot but ultimately decided against this as she did not want to offend the Caterpillar.

"You were once naive, silly, and stupid yet now you seem different. So I ask you: who are you?" the Caterpillar finally answered. "Then again, from your question perhaps you still lack vital intelligence."

Alice nearly fumed at the Caterpillar's remark but quickly held her tongue. She was, however, unable to hold the frown that was now stuck on her face. Her hands had instinctively moved to her hips in agitation. The nerve of him! How dare he say something so...so rude?

"I seem different because I'm growing _older_," Alice replied sharply. She wished to also point out his rude behavior yet she knew very well this may send him away and Alice needed her question to be answered immediately.

"Perhaps." The Caterpillar's answer clearly did not satisfy Alice. Had she really changed so much since her last visit to the Caterpillar? She did not think so right away. Yet, the controversial situation with Hatter and the March Hare began to loom over her once more. Would the Alice just a short while ago have kept a secret from her closest friends? In a way, Alice felt as though she had not grown up very much. After all, she was still being rather silly as well as naive to think she could keep the secret from Hatter and the March Hare.

"That's what I've come to see you about, you know," Alice continued, attempting to stick to the point of her mission. "I was hoping you knew if there was a way to leave Wonderland permanently."

"If you want to leave Wonderland, just go back the way you came," the Caterpillar answered indifferently.

"But I fell down the rabbit hole when I came here," Alice replied. The Caterpillar abruptly ceased the conversation by taking the time to have another smoke. Alice suppressed her impatient, somewhat annoyed attitude; instead, she waited calmly for the Caterpillar to be more specific.

"Then you must go _up_ the rabbit hole," the Caterpillar continued after smoking his hookah.

"_Up_ the rabbit hole?" Alice repeated. That seemed like a rather silly idea.

"Yes." Alice pondered the Caterpillar's last statement while he once again proceeded to smoke. For a moment Alice became sidetracked as she wondered if the Caterpillar ever did anything else besides smoking. Her nose twitched again as he puffed a cloud on smoke in her face in an attempt to be rid of her. The volume of smoke caused Alice to cough a bit as her thoughts once again returned to the idea of traveling up the rabbit hole.

"But one can't possibly go _up_ a rabbit hole," Alice stated confidently.

"You asked for my advice and I have given it to you. Take it or leave it," the Caterpillar bluntly remarked. Alice was unsure of what she should say to such a remark. Traveling up a rabbit hole still seemed rather ridiculous despite the Caterpillar's vague explanation. Yet, she knew better than to continue arguing with the Caterpillar. Not to mention, it was the best answer she had heard so far or rather, the only answer she had heard thus far. Keeping that little fact in mind, Alice curtsied politely.

"Thank you very much," she said before preparing to leave. Before she could take two steps away from the Caterpillar, a small idea popped into her head. It was a strange idea yet Alice felt she ought to bring the subject up either way. "Pardon me but do you happen to be very good with riddles?"

"If I answered your previous question, I believe I would know the answer to a riddle," the Caterpillar replied tartly.

"All right then," Alice said, managing a small smile. "Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

Why the idea of asking the Caterpillar for the answer to an apparent unsolvable riddle was beyond Alice. However, seeing as guilt was creeping over her, she felt it was the least she could do for Hatter. After all, who better to answer the riddle than arguably the wisest creature in Wonderland? Alice knew if the Caterpillar could solve the riddle, the answer would make Hatter very happy and Alice wanted nothing more than to make amends for keeping secrets from him. She only wondered why the two had not thought of asking the Caterpillar earlier. Perhaps a riddle eight years old (or possibly older) was about to be solved.

The Caterpillar smoked his hookah quietly as he attempted to solve the riddle. Of course, he would have no choice but to provide some sort of logical answer for he would look foolish if he could not solve it. Carefully he inhaled from the hookah, exhaling with as much care. Alice waited patiently for the Caterpillar to hopefully solve the riddle.

"Because it can produce a few notes, though… they are very flat; and it is nevar put with the wrong end in front," the Caterpillar finally answered. Alice's smile once again returned upon hearing the solution to the riddle. She clapped her hands out of joy.

"Thank you," Alice repeated, finding a new ray of energy to brighten her day.

"You are welcome," the Caterpillar returned though there was an air about his speech that suggested a snobbish attitude.

"Oh, wait until I tell Hatter," Alice thought aloud as she turned to depart from the Caterpillar.

"I should have known such a riddle would come from Hatter," the Caterpillar remarked mostly to himself, a hint of disgust present in his voice. However, Alice could not help but to overhear this comment.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Alice inquired as she turned her head towards the direction of the Caterpillar. The Caterpillar was too absorbed in himself to notice Alice's comment. Without thinking, Alice shuffled in her pocket, pulling out a piece of a mushroom that would make her grow taller. She bit into it, allowing herself to gradually grow. The Caterpillar immediately ceased smoking his hookah. He watched in horror as the small girl of three inches was now growing larger by the minute. Out of fear, he frantically flew away from the rising girl.

"That will teach him not to be so rude," Alice thought, glad to once again be at her normal height. Still, in the back of her head, Alice knew very well her actions had been equally rude. She never imagined herself to lose her manners in the company of Wonderland citizens especially after being so used to their unusual behavior. Either way, Alice could not be bothered with such trifle matters. It was now time to travel back to the March Hare's house in hopes of joining their tea party. Of course, Alice was still not looking forward to the discussion that would take place at the tea party.

The forest appeared to be unusually darker than normal. A sense of eeriness crept passed the outstretched branches, silently spreading around Alice. Even the birds' usual, pleasant melody appeared to be morbid and threatening. Cautiously, Alice stepped through the forest, hoping the buck or some other friendly creature would be willing to assist her. She did not even mind if she encountered Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dum. However, oddly enough, no such creature was present in the woods.

"Perhaps I should find a way around the forest," Alice thought as the dark, looming trees appeared to be watching her. Although she was tempted to take another route, Alice knew very well the easiest way to the March Hare's house was through the forest rather than around it. Yet, the forest continued to darken with each passing step.

Alice's heart leaped upon hearing the sound of rustling branches. Her eyes quickly darted into the direction of the noise, hoping to catch a glimpse of the source. Whatever it was had moved from its position.

"It was probably just a squirrel of some sort," Alice attempted to convince herself. All her convincing was futile as a strange feeling consumed her. It felt as though a shadow was hovering over her. Alice turned her head sharply to see if such a figure was present however there was nothing behind her. Slowly, she took a few more steps forward yet fear began creeping over her as her footsteps created a rustling noise. If there was something in the forest, Alice did not want it to know where she was.

Breathing as calmly as possible while her heart raced, Alice forced herself to continue her journey through the forest. Yet, she still felt as though someone-or something- was following her. Occasionally, Alice would look behind her but with each turn she found nothing.

Suddenly, Alice heard another noise. While holding her breath, Alice's head spun around to check the surroundings she had left behind. Nothing. Just as Alice released the breath, a low growl rumbled behind her. Chills traveled up her spine as it felt as though her heart had come to a complete stop. Cautiously, Alice turned her head around. Two large, yellow eyes stared directly at her. Saliva dripped from the creature's mouth, its sharp teeth shining. Alice was too stunned to say anything as she stared at the creature. It was not until the creature gave off a powerful roar that Alice screamed in terror.

Alice ran as quickly as her feet would carry her as the Jabberwocky attempted to take a bite of out her. Its long, snake-like neck stretched forward, grabbing onto a tree. Meanwhile, Alice tried desperately to hide herself as best she could. The Jabberwocky shook the tree violently as it hovered in the air. Once it threw the tree out of its mouth, sending it across the forest, the Jabberwocky searched frantically for Alice. A long, hairy hand, appearing to be a spider, stretched toward Alice. Alice attempted to dodge the hand but a claw snagged onto the edge of her dress. Pulling as hard as she could, Alice tugged forward as the claw ripped through the blue cloth. Nearly falling to ground, she picked herself up and continued in her attempt to escape the beast. However, Alice was still in range of the Jabberwocky and much too small to escape his radius in the short amount of time that she had for the Jabberwocky was already taking another swing at her. With Alice's back turned, the Jabberwocky's claw came down on her.

Luckily, the Jabberwocky never managed to hit Alice for if he had, the blow would have been fatal. Instead, his long, deadly claw ripped through the flesh of another. Alice turned around as she heard someone give a small cry of pain. She found none other than Hatter standing in front of her, his feet planted firmly. Blood dripped from his arm, where the Jabberwocky had struck, down upon the forest ground. His arm shook slightly at the impact for although the Jabberwocky had finished striking, its claw was still embedded in Hatter's arm. Hatter winced at the pain, aiming not to cry out again. Alice was too stunned to move from her position. The rushing blood caused a sense of queasiness to consume Alice. She began to feel dizzy as the Jabberwocky was struggling to tear Hatter's arm to shreds. Hatter took a small glance towards Alice's direction.

"Alice! Run!" Hatter exclaimed, surprised she had not run sooner. Well, that clearly did not go according to plan. As Alice obeyed Hatter's instructions, Hatter faced the beast once again. Not knowing what else to do, Hatter threw his hat at the Jabberwocky with his good hand. The Jabberwocky instinctively swung at the incoming object, removing his claw from Hatter's arm. Once his arm was free, Hatter took this opportunity to escape. In no time he managed to catch up to Alice and was now leading her by the arm. His arm was throbbing with pain yet he still forced himself to bring Alice out of harm's way. Alice could not help but to have her eyes focus on his other arm that was beginning to soak the remainder of his sleeve. Abruptly, Hatter stopped near a hollow tree. Both hands instinctively rested alongside Alice's arms in order to keep her in her place. "Stay here," he instructed as his gaze searched for the Jabberwocky. For, the Jabberwocky would be able to easily track Alice down if he were with her. The Jabberwocky can sense fresh blood from miles away. Hatter would have to find another way to escape while leading the Jabberwocky away from Alice.

"Hatter!" Alice exclaimed in fear as she felt he was about to do something incredibly mad. But as Alice reached out to stop Hatter, he was already running towards the direction of the Jabberwocky. Alice desperately watched as Hatter was coming closer to the Jabberwocky. He would never survive with his arm already torn. Oh, Hatter what _were_ you thinking? The Jabberwocky's eyes focused upon Hatter, glaring down below at him. He snarled as his head moved back, ready to strike with its razor sharp fangs.

And then, the White Knight came.

* * *

_Alice mentions to the Caterpillar that he will one day turn into a butterfly. It was bound to happen eventually. He's lucky he has a long life expectancy unlike normal butterflies. The anatomy of the butterfly was taken from Wikipedia so feel free to tell me I used improper terms. I apologize in advance. _

_There are numerous possible answers to the riddle "Why is a raven like a writing desk?". Most of these answers come from Sam Loyd who is a puzzle expert. His answers include "Poe wrote on both" and "They both have inky quills". The answer the Caterpillar gives comes from Lewis Carroll himself. He confesses there was never supposed to be an answer to begin with but offers that possible solution. "Nevar" is supposed to be spelled wrong as it spells "Raven" backwards. However, editions with his answer have been edited to spell "Never" losing Lewis Carroll's pun. _

_The Jabberwocky's description comes from Tenniel's illustration of the creature. His hands look like spiders...yeah..._

_Get ready for some serious Hatter jealousy. I should like to warn you all the next chapter will take some time as I still have some aspect to figure out. Oh yeah Kingdom Hearts commercial is on! = Ignore my utter geekiness. _

_Umm...bye?  
_


	8. Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk?

_I live!!!!!!! I cannot tell you how much I have missed this story. But I have finally completed the latest chapter! A whole twelve pages just for all of you ^.^. Thank you for the reviews I received during the time it took me to update. I really appreciate it. Without further delay, here is the next chapter.  
_**

* * *

Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk? **

The White Knight rode his white horse as it galloped heroically towards the Jabberwocky. His sword was already in hand, ready to strike the beast. His armor glistened through the small rays of sunlight while his face was protected by a helmet though his facial features were still clearly visible. Just as the Jabberwocky was about to snap in Hatter's direction, it turned its head as the White Knight's horse neighed proudly. Hatter backed away from the beast while it was distracted. Seeing the White Knight, Alice rushed towards Hatter's side. The two merely glanced at one another before focusing their attention on the White Knight who had just struck the Jabberwocky. The Jabberwocky shrieked in pain as the sword hit one of its wings. Blood glistened on the sword as the White Knight pulled it back.

Alice and Hatter mutually decided it was best to move away from the battle. Alice became fixated on the White Knight whose eyes were fierce with determination. The Jabberwocky's head traveled quickly towards the White Knight's horse in an attempt to bite it in the throat. However, the White Knight directed his horse back, just missing the attack. He then plunged his sword forward, piercing the beast in the neck. With a deeper thrust, the White Knight sent the Jabberwocky's head flying onto the ground. Blood spurted from its neck, sprinkling the White Knight and his horse with the warm liquid while the head rolled. Both the head and body squirmed for a few seconds as the creature exulted its last bit of energy. The dragon like body of the Jabberwocky then collapsed onto the ground and the head was still.

Alice's queasiness once again resurfaced at the sight of all the blood. There was enough blood to fill a tub or two. The sheer smell of it suffocating her nostrils sent shivers down her spine. Her surroundings began to multiply as her head appeared to spin.

"Alice," Hatter said as she felt his arms supporting her. "You're falling." Alice looked around to find herself leaning as though she were indeed about to fall.

"Keep her away from here," the White Knight instructed as he got down from his horse. "The blood is too much for her." Hatter frowned at the White Knight's comment. He knew very well why Alice was about to faint. Did the White Knight see him as some buffoon? He was not completely mad to the point where he had no common sense! Obediently, Hatter slowly led Alice away from the gruesome sight. Once Alice was no longer looking at the blood, her head began to clear. The smell bothered her but not to the extent where she was on the brink of fainting. It was not until her eyes caught sight of Hatter's injured arm that she began to feel uneasy.

However, Hatter did not notice Alice's uneasiness. His eyes focused on his hat that lay just a few meters away. Hatter calmly walked forward to pick it up. It was torn but nothing he could not fix (for he did not even think of replacing such a wonderful hat!). After brushing the dirt off it, Hatter placed his hat back on his head, where it belonged.

"What were you doing in the forest Hatter?" Alice could not help but to inquire now that her head was clear. Alice tried her best to keep her eyes off Hatter's arm until it could properly be cared for.

"I was looking for _you_," Hatter replied. "Dormy told us you were on your way to see the Caterpillar so I went to bring you back. When I was in the forest, I heard a scream. That's when I found you here." Alice remained silent after realizing Hatter managed to find the truth. "Really, Alice, why didn't you just tell me you were going to see the Caterpillar?"

"You know, you two are lucky I was hunting the Jabberwocky," the White Knight interrupted just as Alice was about to answer Hatter's question. The two stopped their current conversation and turned towards him. The White Knight had taken the liberty of removing his helmet, his almond hair resting on his shoulders. He held a sack in one hand that was once clearly a tan color but was beginning to turn red. A lump formed at the bottom of the bag where the red color was heavily concentrated. There was no doubt that the head of the Jabberwocky lay in the sack, still dripping with crimson blood, waiting to be fixed for a trophy of some sort in the White Knight's quarters.

"Thank you very much for saving us," Alice replied.

"I had everything under control," Hatter insisted, offended that Alice was thanking the White Knight instead of him.

"I could clearly see that by the way you ran towards the Jabberwocky without a weapon," the White Knight pointed out, simply jesting a bit. However, Hatter took the remark much more seriously than the White Knight expected.

"Really Hatter, you nearly lost an arm," Alice insisted.

"It was either that or you'd lose your entire lower body," Hatter retorted, growing angrier by the minute. Alice opened her mouth to protest however was having difficulty coming up with a response. It was true: Hatter had saved her life and nearly lost an arm in the process.

"All the same, may I offer you two to come back to the White King and Queen's castle? It isn't very far and we can fix your arm when we arrive," the White Knight offered, seeing the conversation was taking a rather negative tone. Hatter and Alice, who were still up and arms for an argument, ceased their talking. They both nodded, coming to another agreement that the argument would be dealt with later. The White Knight then went to his horse. He tied the sack to the edge of the saddle before mounting the majestic creature. The White Knight instructed his horse to march towards the two before he held out a hand to Alice. "You may ride with me if you like," Charles offered.

Alice turned towards Hatter before proceeding to take the Charles' hand. A frown of jealousy was still present on his face for a split second.

"You should. You still look a bit pale, after all," was Hatter's remark. Evidently, had Alice been perfectly healthy, Hatter would have objected to this action immediately.

Upon Hatter's suggestion, Alice took the White Knight's hand. He gently hoisted her up, allowing her to sit in front of him. The horse's mane was just below her fingertips. Cautiously, her fingers brushed through the horse's hair. It was not as bloody as before and she guessed Charles managed to clean his horse along with his armor quickly before interrupting the conversation. Her back rested against the White Knight's chest. Alice could feel his heart beat despite his thick armor. Her heart began to beat slightly faster than before as color returned to her cheeks. She jolted slightly as the White Knight instructed the horse to move. The horse turned itself around moving in the direction of the White King's palace.

At first, the small party traveled in silence. Alice felt rather awkward sitting in front of Charles on his horse while Hatter was forced to walk. Hatter did not appear to be bothered by the fact he was the only one traveling on foot. His stride was long as his arms swayed slightly with his movements. He tried with all his might not to cradle his injured arm in an attempt to keep some of his dignity. Hatter's eyes remained on the road ahead. However, Alice could not help but to pass occasional glances towards Hatter. Although he did act rather foolish, nearly getting himself killed, he still did so to protect her. Perhaps she should not have badgered him so much as she did.

When Alice realized she was not going to get much attention from Hatter, her eyes traveled elsewhere. The dark shadow that had casted upon the forest had now lifted. Animals scurried about their daily lives as normal. It appeared as though a Jabberwocky had never been in the forest. Her gaze shifted to the ground where the horse's hooves trotted forward. The side of its leg was covered with dirt. Upon closer examination, Alice realized the White Knight's horse was rather dirty. Even its mane possessed signs of rough traveling in addition to the minor traces of blood Charles missed. The White Knight's horse couldn't possibly have received all this dirt from the single battle that took place.

"How long were you hunting the Jabberwocky?" Alice inquired.

"Oh, a couple of days. It was terrorizing a town on the outside of the White King's square. Upon my first encounter, I lost my shield in the process. Luckily, I managed to trap it in the forest where it couldn't fly very high," the White Knight answered.

"You lured it to the forest?" Hatter remarked, a tone of disgust present as though this was a horrible action since both he and Alice were in the forest while the pursuit was taking place.

"I didn't know you two were in the forest," Charles responded defensively. "For a moment I lost the beast until I heard Alice scream." Alice shot a glare in Hatter's direction for his rude behavior. However, Hatter remained indifferent to Alice's silent reprimanding.

"We are glad you were here," Alice added in an attempt to sooth Charles from Hatter's recent remark. This comment seemed to bring up the White Knight's spirit as his posture raised his body on the horse with pride (though Alice could only partially feel the White Knight's body rise as she was sitting in front of him).

"I only wish I could have arrived sooner," the White Knight replied sincerely as he indicated Hatter's arm. Hatter clenched his teeth upon this remark as he felt his dignity slowly being stripped away once more. He would have liked nothing more than to comment on the White Knight's remark however he knew it would not be a very civil thing to do. Not to mention, Alice would become angry with him again had he the nerve to say something in his defense. "How is your arm by the way Hatter?"

"It's not so bad," Hatter lied. His arm was throbbing; blood was still dripping out of his arm. With each step he felt weaker at the loss of blood. If they did not arrive soon, he would be the one to fall unconscious. Of course, he refused to allow anyone to witness even a glimpse of this.

"We should be there momentarily," the White Knight replied as they were now exiting the forest. Alice squinted her eyes as the three came into direct contact with the sun once again. In the far distance, a tall castle stood silently.

"I thought you said we would be there momentarily," Hatter remarked with irritation as he saw how far the castle was from where they were currently positioned.

"It's not so far if we could gallop," the White Knight said defensively. He had completely forgotten the three were traveling at a slow pace instead of allowing his horse to run at top speed. "I merely lost my conception of time."

"Indeed," was all Hatter said.

Not wanting the small quarrel to continue (for she felt Hatter might add something to his remark at any moment), Alice was about to offer a solution until a horse's neigh was heard not far off in the distance. The White Knight's horse neighed in response. In just a few moments, another knight clad in armor appeared before them. It did not take the three long to realize from the white horse that the knight was the _other _White Knight.

"I'm glad that you are here cousin," the White Knight remarked to the new guest.

"Cousin?" Alice inquired.

"Why yes. We're cousins," Charles answered. The White Knight's cousin removed his helmet. He was remarkably similar to that of the White Knight. His long, dark brown hair was tied back and his almond eyes were full of glee.

"I've been searching for you. I was afraid the Jabberwocky got the best of you," the cousin replied, smiling.

"No, no. I took care of the beast," the White Knight replied reassuringly. The White Knight then gestured to both Alice and Hatter. "You remember former Queen Alice and this is her friend Hatter." Alice frowned slightly at the White Knight's mention of her being a queen.

"It is a pleasure to meet you again Queen Alice," the White Knight's cousin replied. "And Hatter."

"Likewise," Alice replied as politely as possible, attempting to refrain her frown. Hatter made no notion to respond: he merely nodded in acknowledgement.

"If it isn't too much trouble, would you mind bringing Hatter to the palace? He's been injured and requires assistance right away," the White Knight interjected.

"Certainly," the White Knight's cousin answered. With that, Hatter was hoisted up onto the second White Knight's horse.

"Hold on," the White Knight stated before both horses went into a gallop, heading in the direction of the White King's palace.

The White King's palace was very different from that of the Queen of Hearts. The castle walls were made of pure white stone. Angelic figures guarded the castle all around, each as innocent looking as the last. Portraits hung along the walls: some of fair maidens and others of dashing knights. Archways possessed the most careful carvings. Alice stares intriguingly at the elaborate decorations. She felt she could have gazed at the castle for hours. It was as though she was no longer in Wonderland but had instead stepped into a fairy tale.

"Alice, this way," Charles remarked as she had stopped in the center of the hall. Alice quickly escaped her day dreaming. She and Hatter followed the White Knight into his quarters.

Warmth immediately filled Alice as she stepped inside the White Knight's room. A roaring fire stretched its heat amongst the room. The lack of windows (there were only two) provided little light from the outside. Golden curtains concealed the White Knight's bed. The golden curtains appeared to stand out enormously in the nearly all white room. A small table was situated on the far end of the room opposite to where the bed was. The White Knight walked over to a cabinet resting on the side of the wall near the table's location. He brought out some bandages and a gold bowl.

"Someone should be bringing the hot water any moment," the White Knight informed the two. "I shall return momentarily. I must inform the White King of the slain Jabberwocky." Without another word, the White Knight left Alice and Hatter in his room to attend to other knightly duties.

Alice and Hatter did not say anything to one another as they awaited the arrival of the hot water. All the while, Alice pondered whether or not to begin answering Hatter's question as to why she had gone to see the Caterpillar in the first place. Yet, just as her other attempts of confession had failed her, each time Alice was about to begin the conversation, something stopped her from letting out even a single word.

"I really don't want to be interrupted by whoever is bringing the hot water," Alice used as another excuse to herself as to why she refused to begin the touchy subject.

Meanwhile, Hatter was still irritated from the White Knight's ravishing performance in the forest in addition to his admirable hospitality. If Hatter were to say anything, it was sure to come forth as a rude remark. But Hatter didn't want to be rude to Alice; he wanted to be rude to the White Knight. Of course, Hatter knew very well he was barking up the wrong tree by starting any sort of argument with the White Knight in Alice's presence.

Luckily, this awkward silence ceased within a few minutes as a servant brought in a tray. On the tray rested a pure white teapot. At first, Alice thought the lack of color in the teapot to be rather odd after having seen the assortment of colorful teapots Hatter possessed.

"Well, at least they had the courtesy to bring some tea," Hatter remarked.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir but there is no tea: just herbal hot water," the servant replied politely.

"What sort of person brings a teapot with no tea?" Hatter could not help but to say as a tone of confusion filled his voice. This was a rather odd castle. There was _always _tea present with a teapot. That was why teapot had the word tea in it.

"Hatter," Alice could not help but to sigh at his remark.

"I could fetch some tea for you if you like," the servant offered.

"That's quite all right. We can manage without tea," Alice replied. Hatter was about to protest: he really could use a nice cup of hot tea right now. However, already seeing signs of oddity, Hatter kept quiet. They would most likely be unable to create a cup of tea to ultimate perfection as he was able to do at any given moment. Without another word, the servant departed, leaving Hatter and Alice once again silent within the White Knight's chambers.

Alice quietly walked to where the teapot with hot water lay. She lifted the pot, bringing it over to the small table where the golden bowl lay. Hatter instinctively followed her. While Alice proceeded to pour the hot water into the bowl, Hatter sat in one of the chairs next to the table. He watched her steadily as she came to realize there was nothing to clean Hatter's wound with.

"Perhaps we should find someone else to assist me," Hatter suggested as Alice began searching the cabinets for a rag.

"Why?" Alice inquired, slightly offended.

"Well…you did nearly faint in the woods…," Hatter responded carefully.

"Oh, right," Alice remarked. She had nearly forgotten about such feelings after once again engaging herself in the never ending debate of when to inform Hatter of her leaving Wonderland. Finally finding a rag, Alice brought it to the table. She then stared thoughtfully at the door. "Perhaps the servant that was here earlier was meant to do it…"

"I don't think so," Hatter replied. "I believe the White Knight expected _you_ to do it."

Alice cocked her head to the side as Hatter's statement confused her. If Charles saw her behavior upon seeing the Jabberwocky's blood decorating the ground, why would he expect her to clean Hatter's wound? That seemed rather silly. Yet, at the same time, Charles was very forgetful even though he did not like to admit it.

"The White Knight lives in a palace where someone of your age is already considered an adult. He expected a woman, _you_, to do a woman's job," Hatter explained.

"Charles wouldn't think such a thing!" Alice retorted. Alice now convinced herself Charles must have forgotten about the previous events in the woods. And, if what Hatter said _was_ true, he must have also forgotten their conversation in the Queen of Heart's palace about Alice leaving Wonderland to become an adult. Still, it was a rather important thing to forget so easily…Hatter's comments were only causing Alice to feel more agitated.

"I'm not saying what he was thinking was _wrong_. I am simply saying he doesn't realize you are still a child," Hatter attempted to clarify. It was as though Alice expected him to speak ill about the White Knight.

"I am not a child," Alice countered defensively.

"Really? Because just yesterday you announced you would be passing into adulthood. Meaning, you are not an adult _yet_," Hatter could not help but to point out sarcastically knowing full well he had cornered Alice. But he did not care. _He_ was the one who had went searching for her in the woods. _He_ was the one who had saved Alice from the Jabberwocky and was perfectly willing to distract it in order to insure Alice's safety. Yet, here Alice was, defending the White Knight, attempting to create a completely flawless human being: even taking it so far as to claim she had reached adulthood. Meanwhile, her passage into adulthood was the very reason she would no longer be visiting Wonderland as frequently as Hatter desired. She always claimed him to be the mad one yet Hatter could not help but to think Alice was just as mad as he was.

Alice frowned in response, acknowledging what she had stated yesterday as utter defeat sunk in. She sat in a chair across from Hatter sharply. The two glared at one another.

"Give me your arm," Alice said, irritation filling her voice. Hatter's expression immediately transformed.

"I think you are being a bit rash," Hatter pointed out calmly, clearly now concerned.

"It's no good to leave your arm the way it is. Who knows how long it could take to find someone to assist you," Alice replied sharply.

"I think I can manage…I hardly feel a thing now," Hatter replied.

"That's not a good thing Hatter!" Alice exclaimed, now concerned as her anger was quickly subsiding. Here they were, arguing away meanwhile Hatter's arm could be on the brink of amputation. She had heard countless of stories from Lorina in which soldiers who were not treated right away would suffer multiple amputations and would usually die from the results. Countless images filled Alice's mind as these stories completely engulfed her. Of course, she couldn't tell Hatter any of this, least she should send him panicking as well. "Give me your arm," Alice repeated.

Seeing Alice's stressful expression, Hatter reluctantly held out his arm for her to see. She couldn't see much at first only the fact that his coat sleeve and shirt sleeve underneath were completely torn. Stains of crimson blood covered what remained of the sleeves. Alice cautiously pushed aside the remaining sleeves to find a deep gash in Hatter's arm. While it was unpleasant to look at, it still was no where near the amount of blood she had seen when the White Knight decapitated the Jabberwocky. Yet, at the same time, Alice felt as though there should have been a more serious wound.

"It isn't so terrible," Alice replied.

"....Oh, I had nearly forgotten. Jabberwocky have something in their saliva that allows their injuries to heal at unusually fast rates," Hatter replied. Alice simply nodded in acknowledgement at this new information though she really wished Hatter had informed her sooner.

"But, if the Jabberwocky is a predator, wouldn't that allow animals it has injured to heal and therefore escape?" Alice inquired.

"The Jabberwocky usually takes care of its meals before then…we were walking for quite some time you know," Hatter explained. The tension in Alice's shoulder's faded away as she picked up the rag and placed it in the golden bowl filled with hot water. The two remained silent as Alice began to clean Hatter's wound, having guilt consume both due to the argument that had occurred only a few moments ago. The blood surrounding the wound quickly faded, leaving only the point where the Jabberwocky's tooth came into contact with Hatter's flesh. Alice attempted to think of something, anything to end the silence and hopefully cheer Hatter up.

"Oh!" Alice exclaimed as she recalled her talk with the Caterpillar. Hatter stared towards her, curious as to why she had exclaimed with such enthusiasm. "I found the answer to your riddle Hatter!" Hatter merely looked confused, not understanding what Alice was talking about. "'Why is a raven like a writing desk?'" Alice recited as she recalled Hatter's riddle. Hatter perked up, awaiting the answer.

However, after waiting for three seconds with no answer, Hatter exclaimed, "Well? What is it?"

"Guess," Alice teased. Hatter racked his brain of any possible solutions, staring into an unknown void as he attempted to find an answer to the riddle.

"I don't know. I've been searching for years for the answer and I still haven't got a clue!" Hatter concluded.

"Because it can produce a few notes, though… they are very flat; and it is nevar put with the wrong end in front!" Alice answered. Hatter paused to think over this solution, making sure it made sense. Even if it did not make sense, Hatter would never know nor would he analyze it for very long to ensure it was a logical answer.

"It's the best answer I've ever heard," Hatter declared, convinced that this solution was acceptable.

"It's the _only_ answer you've ever heard," Alice pointed out, smiling.

"All the more reason for it to be the best," Hatter replied. Now, with both their spirits up, Alice continued her chore with more enthusiasm. She was already beginning to wrap the bandages around Hatter's arm. However, this became difficult at times as Hatter began to fidget with excitement. "You know what this means? We'll have to come up with even more riddles for the Caterpillar to solve!" Hatter remarked. "How about this one?"

While Hatter began to conjure a riddle, Alice could not help but to be reminded that they wouldn't be able to create more riddles together as Hatter wished.

"I really do not want to put an end to his pleasant mood," Alice thought to herself.

"No, it must be done," Alice answered herself. She had waited long enough to tell him. It simply had to be done. "Hatter," Alice said, her voice sounding distant in her mind.

"Yes?" Hatter inquired, stopping all current activity to listen to her. Alice took a deep breath before continuing.

"Thank you…for saving me," Alice said. Inside her head, Alice argued with herself once more as she was unable to tell Hatter.

"You're welcome," Hatter replied happily, finally achieving the recognition he deserved. "Though Alice, you never answered my question." Still arguing with herself, Alice only provided a confused expression. "I asked you in the woods why you wanted to visit the Caterpillar. Well…I suppose I'm asking it again."

"Um…well…you see…" Alice began, choking on her own words at the very idea of having to tell him.

"Come on now, don't be shy," Hatter teased, completely oblivious to the seriousness of his question. Alice continued to struggle with her words. How was she to begin this conversation? What should she say?

"Hatter…remember how I told you I was going to have to visit Wonderland less often?" Alice began as calmly as possible.

"Yes…," Hatter answered awkwardly considering he had just mentioned it moments ago during their argument. "Did you go to ask him if there was a way for you to keep visiting Wonderland as often as you have been?"

"Not exactly…," Alice answered sheepishly, turning away from him. "You see…the truth is…in order for me to become an adult…I can't…I can't…" She looked towards Hatter to find his gleeful expression had changed once he realized whatever she was attempting to say was rather serious. However, just as the first attempt to tell Hatter had been torture, this time was no different. She tried to push the words out of her mouth, to force them forward. "I can't come back to Wonderland! This is my last visit." While the news she was now delivering was utterly terrible in her eyes, Alice could not help but to feel a sensation of relief. She had finally made peace with herself.

Hatter was stunned from the news. His expression was completely blank. Alice leaving forever? Was this...was this possible? After being acquainted with Alice for eight years it seemed impossible for her to suddenly slip out of his life just like that. Something inside Hatter suddenly clicked. It was as though a fog had been lifted over him. Why he was so jealous of the White Knight and even Milo interacting with Alice now made more sense than ever. Just as he was able to find the answer to his riddle "why is a raven like a writing desk?" he was able to find an answer to his unusual behavior when in the presence of Alice. He was in love with her. While this revelation sent his heart beating furiously he could not help but to be dismayed. He only came to this wonderful revelation because he was about to lose the one thing he loved most forever. In consequence, an overwhelming sadness began to engulf him.

"Hatter...." Alice remarked gently, lightly squeezing his hand, bringing him back to Wonderland.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Hatter inquired, hurt that he only had a short time to spend with Alice while knowing his full feelings for her.

"I tried to tell you," Alice replied, feeling guilty. "But you looked so upset. I didn't want to hurt your feelings."

"Is that why you were crying the night of the concert?" Hatter further inquired as Alice's odd behavior was now beginning to make sense.

"Yes," Alice confessed as though she were on trial.

"Do you want to go?" Hatter could not help but to ask. While he wanted what was best for Alice, at the same time, he hoped she at least wanted to stay. It would hurt even more if she actually wished to leave, knowing full well the two would never see each other.

"Of course not!" Alice could not help but to cry out as her eyes were beginning to fill with water. "But it's the only way."

Just as Hatter was about to speak, Charles re-entered the room. Alice quickly wiped her eyes before he could see. Charles' smile faded as he realized something was amiss between the two.

"I hope I was not interrupting something," Charles remarked apologetically.

"You weren't interrupting anything," Alice replied. Hatter gloomily watched Charles walk over towards the two. As he eyed the White Knight, the one who treated Alice as an adult, something clicked in his twisted brain. The White Knight _had _treated Alice as an adult when in actuality Alice was not as far from growing up as Hatter had originally thought.

"You told the White Knight about leaving, didn't you?" Hatter exclaimed at the sudden realization. Alice lowered her head at Hatter's comment.

"Yes...." Alice managed to murmur.

"Who else did you tell?" Hatter demanded, becoming more upset upon realizing he was not the first to know of this. It did not help that the White Knight was told of this before himself. What if the March Hare knew? No, that was unlikely. But he bet that sleeping Dormouse knew exactly what was going on the entire time! The nerve of him to keep silent about such important information and then to blame poor Milo! Then again, it was likely Milo was aware as well. Had he and the March Hare been the only ones uninformed about this?

"Just...a few people...." Alice answered sheepishly. Hatter slowly began to sink in his seat.

"Alice, were you able to figure out what must be done in order to leave Wonderland?" Charles inquired. He was relieved to be able to speak about this in the open now instead of worrying whether or not Alice had informed Hatter.

"Yes," Alice replied though she still felt uncomfortable discussing such matters in front of Hatter. She could see him wince slightly at the remark. "I must go up the rabbit hole."

"That makes sense," Charles replied though there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. At least Alice was not the only one who felt the Caterpillar's advice to be rather odd. She only hoped that wasn't some sort of riddle! Alice waited a moment in hopes Hatter would respond. However, he remained silent as he traveled deep within his thoughts.

"I suppose," Alice replied.

"If you would like, I can escort you there," the White Knight offered.

"Alice isn't going up the rabbit hole!" Hatter proclaimed rather suddenly sending the two to jolt from their positions as he slammed his hand on the table, rising from his seat.

"Hatter..." Alice began.

"I don't care what I said before, Alice. This isn't right for you," Hatter continued. Hatter had made up his mind: there was no way he was going to lose Alice immediately after realizing his feelings for her. She wasn't going to simply walk out of his life one day and be gone the next.

"Hatter, don't you think you're being a bit rash?" The White Knight offered calmly.

"No, I'm not. Thank you for your hospitality but Alice and I are going to see Time," Hatter replied as he moved away from his seat.

"Time?" Alice inquired.

"Yes, Time. If there is anyone who can solve this problem, it's Time. And he will like you very much Alice," Hatter said as he took Alice's hand and began to lead her out of the White Knight's room.

"Hatter, I think you are letting your feelings get in the way of what's best for Alice," the White Knight remarked just before they left. Hatter stopped dead in his tracks. Alice gazed up at Hatter to find his muscles tensing. He obliviously began squeezing her hand tightly. Hatter turned his head back towards the White Knight.

"If I know Alice then she is most definitely not ready to grow up yet," Hatter replied.

"But she will have to eventually," Charles pointed out sadly. "You can't keep her in Wonderland forever. No one can."

"I'm not going to just sit by and let-," Hatter began but had to stop himself briefly before continuing, nearly confessing his feelings for Alice, "-my friend leave me forever." Hatter waited for the White Knight to counter his statement. However, the White Knight merely sighed. Hatter glanced down at Alice. She did not offer to say anything but merely stared up at him, mystified by his statement. Hatter took her hand more delicately before leading her out of the White King's palace towards where Time lived.

* * *

_There are not many facts that I have for this chapter. The Jabberwocky is mentioned briefly in Through the Looking Glass. Apparently, rumor has it, the Jabberwocky is going to have a great significance in the new Tim Burton version. _

_After reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with Sir Gawain being related to King Arthur, it only made sense to have the two White Knight's related. _

_Gold is the opposite of purple on the color wheel...it's significant. But that's all I will tell you in regards to that ^_~.  
_


	9. Bread and a Bit of Plum Cake

_Hello my dear readers! Once again, I am very grateful for all the reviews I received. Really, I never expected so many people to read this story since this is my first "mainstream" story (I usually prefer to write about "oddball" topics, namely crossovers). Either way, we finally have a new chapter! As well as some more random facts from Wikipedia...I mean LS =D. _

_I am also proud to announce that while watching Ghost Hunters (or was it Destination Truth?) I discovered that yes, it is true that Alice does have a boyfriend in the new Alice mini-series on the Syfy channel airing in December. BUT! There was a mini clip of an interview with the actor who plays Hatter. And he says (whether it was the first thing he said or the last, I cannot remember): "There is a love triangle going on". But that's not all! They then cut to a scene in which Alice and Hatter almost kiss but are then interrupted by her boyfriend! I am rather excited for this show now as I hope Alice and Hatter end up together! Now, the new trailer on the Syfy website for Alice shows that very clip of Hatter and Alice nearly kissing. So go check it out if you are interested!_

_All right, enough rambling. Here is the next chapter. Enjoy. Reviews are encouraged as well as constructive criticism.  
_

_  
_**

* * *

Bread and a Bit of Plum Cake**

"Hatter, did you really mean what you said back at the castle?" Alice inquired, still unable to comprehend the events that had been unfolded while the two were in the White King's Palace. While Hatter's gloomy behavior after informing him this would be her last visit to Wonderland was predictable, she never expected Hatter to act so passionately in her favor. He was even still gripping her hand and pulling her forward despite they were very far from the palace by now. Even though Alice had made up her mind about departing Wonderland for the last time, Hatter's words began to inflict her with doubt. Was she truly ready to grow up? She had thought so but now she was no longer so sure of herself.

"Of course I meant what I said," Hatter replied. "I would have liked to change my clothes since we will be in the presence of Time and well…look at me." He motioned to his torn coat and shirt. "But if we do stop by my house, we will never be able to visit Time and return home before dark." He then gazed down at Alice. "You really need a change of clothes as well." Alice frowned upon this remark until she gazed down upon her clothes to see they were torn and dirty. She figured Time must have been a very important citizen of Wonderland if even Hatter was worried about their appearance considering he was wearing clothes that did not match yesterday.

Alice could not help but to continue pondering Hatter's devotion. He was willing to face a man who he thought he had murdered all for the sake of Alice. Yet, what had Alice done to prevent such a thing from happening? Instead of asking people if there was a way to continue staying in Wonderland and growing up, she had only been concerned with how to leave. In a way, Alice could not help but to feel guilty. She had been so focused on leaving Wonderland when Hatter was willing to do anything in order to keep Alice from leaving. Her actions were not very well thought out: something a child would do.

"I guess I'm not ready to grow up," Alice thought aloud, a hint of disappointment in her voice. Hatter ceased his walking upon hearing Alice's dismayed tone. He let go of Alice's hand for the time being. Although Alice claimed she did not want to leave Wonderland, it was evident she still wished to grow up very much. Whether she would choose Wonderland or growing up (should she have to choose), Hatter was still unsure.

"Maybe not," Hatter replied. "But you will." It was something Hatter did not want to say. But what other choice did he have? As the White Knight had said, Hatter would not be able to cease Alice from growing up which was why there must have been a way for her to remain in Wonderland. There simply had to.

"But if I grow up, I shall have to leave," Alice could not help but to point out, a hint of fear present in her voice.

"Alice, don't think like that," Hatter reprimanded. "We'll find a way. As I said, Time will help us. He'll make it so you can grow up _and _stay in Wonderland." He spoke with the upmost confidence. However, Hatter was not entirely sure if Time would be able to grant Alice the ability to pass into adulthood and remain in Wonderland. The best he could do for now, until the two reached Time, would be to cheer Alice up. After all, if worse came to worse (and he did not like to think about this topic) and this _was_ Alice's last visit, he wanted it to be a happy one.

Luckily for Hatter, his words comforted Alice. If Hatter had this much faith in Time, Alice truly believed he could assist her.

"Hatter, I'm glad you are going through such great lengths to help me," Alice said.

"Anything for you, Alice," Hatter found himself saying as he began to continue walking. As his feet continued to carry him forward, however, his mind froze after realizing what he had said. His heart began to pound. "You are one of my best friends, after all," Hatter attempted to add as calmly as possible but he could not help but to laugh nervously. He turned his head so he could see Alice's reaction, hoping she did not notice the underlining feelings he possessed in that statement. Luckily, he found Alice smiling.

"You are one of my best friends too Hatter," Alice replied. Hatter relaxed at Alice's reply. She was still much too naive to understand what he had been referring to. Or perhaps she never expected such an inclination from Hatter. After all, he had only discovered these feelings buried inside him just a few minutes ago. Either way, he was glad she had not caught on to his feelings. While he would like nothing more to tell Alice his feelings for her, he still knew this was not a proper action. After all, he was from Wonderland and she was from another world. Even if Alice could find a way to continue visiting Wonderland, he would never be able to become a part of her life the way he now wished to be. Instead, he would have to watch from afar as Alice grew and married within her own society. Still, he would much rather have her with him as much as possible as opposed to never seeing her again.

Contrary to Hatter's belief, while Alice did not understand Hatter's intentional meaning, she could not help but to blush at his comment. She found his actions and speech heartwarming. Everyone she had spoken to in Wonderland had eventually consented to her leaving. But not Hatter. She still could not believe that he was willing to do anything for her as long as it meant her continuing visits. A small bit of the sensation she often felt when around the White Knight was gradually beginning to form within her.

Alice quickened her pace so the two were walking side by side. The path they were walking along was beginning to become much smoother than the previous rocky formation. Alice guessed they must have been nearing a town of some sort. They were still in a lightly wooded area so Alice reasoned they could not have been too near the town. Almost as quickly as they had begun their journey again, Hatter stopped. He gazed up at the sun, shielding its intense rays with his hand.

"Hatter?" Alice inquired, wondering what exactly it was that he was doing. However, Hatter did not answer her. Instead, he removed a pocket watch from his coat and looked upon it. He glanced at its hands briefly before gazing at Alice.

"Alice, you wouldn't by any chance happen to have the time, would you?" Hatter inquired. Alice stared down at Hatter's watch which read six o'clock. This clearly was not the correct time. She then gazed up at the sky, also shielding her eyes from the sun.

"I suppose it's noon," Alice remarked. "Or perhaps an hour or so past."

"Oh dear! This is absolutely dreadful," Hatter remarked, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"What do you mean? What's wrong," Alice inquired, becoming alarmed. She was afraid this perhaps might have something to do with their meeting Time.

"I have missed tea time!" Hatter exclaimed. Alice raised an eyebrow at this. Hatter was acting completely over dramatic for this type of situation. Nearly every hour of the day could be considered tea time for him.

"But Hatter, tea time is not for another couple of hours," Alice replied soothingly even though she knew Hatter would come up with some sort of explanation as to why tea time was at this precise hour.

"Alice, have you never heard of noon tea?" Hatter remarked, completely surprised that Alice had not the slightest notion as to what he was referring to. After visiting Wonderland for this long, he thought she would have known such an important fact.

"Why, no, I have not," Alice replied, now curious as to what he was referring to.

"It is a tradition for tea at noon. Everyone in Wonderland does. Tea at noon and then tea at six. Everyday. Of course, sometimes we have tea parties at midnight as well. Those are loads of fun. You really should attend a proper one," Hatter said, now going off, reminiscing about some of the most wonderful midnight tea parties in all of Wonderland in which even the Queen of Hearts would attend. The small, sleepover midnight tea party he and Alice had had the previous night was nothing compared to the proper ones. Of course, the two never really got to have tea at midnight either.

"Perhaps I will," Alice remarked calmly, hoping Hatter had forgotten his small crisis. Though, at the same time, she really wished she could attend a midnight tea party. From Hatter's brief description, it sounded like quite an event to attend.

"Well, I simply cannot miss noon tea," Hatter said, now returning to the previous conversation.

"But Hatter, how are you going to have tea now?" Alice inquired. Hatter drifted towards where a series of trees had been cut down: a large tree and two smaller ones. The stumps were arranged in such a way that it created a very low table with two seats. Hatter was satisfied with this perfect little area and sat down upon one of the stumps.

"This will do just fine," Hatter remarked, approving the tea table.

"But Hatter, how do you plan to have a noontime tea with no tea?" Alice inquired. To Alice's surprise, Hatter reached into his pocket to reveal a small bag of tea.

"I always bring one just in case. You never know when the need for tea will arise," Hatter explained. Alice wondered why he did not bother to reveal this bag of tea when the two were in the White Knight's chambers, for he had wanted tea then too. Oh well, he was mad after all.

"Well that's all very well but how are you going to have tea without a teacup?" Alice continued to question. As if on cue, Hatter once again reached into his pocket (the opposite one this time), pulling out a lavender tea cup.

"But you haven't got any water!" Alice protested. She did not even bother to ask how Hatter managed to fit a teacup in his pocket. Though from numerous experiments, _I _can tell you it is quite possible to fit a teacup in a pocket.

Much to Alice's surprise, Hatter did not seem to be bothered by the fact that there was no water. Placing the bag of tea into the teacup and resting the teacup on the main stump, Hatter walked off. For a moment, Alice was afraid she had offended Hatter. However, Hatter hastily returned to grab the teacup. Once again, Hatter dashed back to wherever it was he had walked off to. When he returned once more, there was water in the teacup.

"There was a stream not too far off," Hatter remarked upon his return.

"You can't be serious," Alice replied. This was all rather silly in Alice's eyes. Going to a stream with possibly unsanitary water for a mere cup of tea was absolutely absurd.

"Of course I am serious. Why wouldn't I be?" Hatter questioned, confused by Alice's remark. As long as he had the proper ingredients for tea making, why should he not enjoy the pleasure of tea?

"The water isn't even warm I'm sure," Alice pointed out.

"So? It's better than no tea at all," Hatter countered.

"Oh Hatter," Alice sighed, realizing there was absolutely no point in arguing with him. Hatter took his seat at the "table" without another word. He motioned for Alice to sit across from him. As a small smile crept over her, Alice sat at the other side of the stump table.

"I'm terribly sorry I only have one teacup," Hatter said apologetically. "Would you like some of the tea before me?" Alice laughed a little at his offering, recalling a time when Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse would drink out of dirty cups. Drinking out of a teacup someone else had already used was no trouble for him.

"No thank you. You enjoy your tea Hatter."

"Are you sure you don't mind? It is rather rude of me to have tea in front of you when you have no tea at all," Hatter replied.

"It's all right Hatter, really." Of course, Alice was merely being polite as she really did not think it was a very good idea to attempt to drink tea without warm water. Then again, she had never tried any with cold water either. For all she knew, Hatter could have been concocting a most delicious tea. But Alice highly doubted that.

Alice watched with curiosity as Hatter attempted to make his tea. He glanced at her occasionally for he did find it rather awkward for her to be staring at him with such fascination even though she had done this countless of times prior. She had been especially curious once the two had gotten to know one another better and Hatter was not so rude to her anymore. He distinctly remembered her constantly pestering him with questions ranging from "how do you managed to drink tea so many times a day?" to "why do you have a tag still present in your hat?". It had taken a while for Hatter to become used to so many questions being asked of him, most of which he did not have an answer to. His heart sank at the recollection of these memories as there was the slight possibility this was all he would have left of Alice once she went back to her world after this visit. That made him very sad indeed.

Meanwhile, Alice felt as though she were under a spell of some sort. Watching Hatter attempt to create tea with the little resources he had was almost hypnotizing even though he was not doing much. The precision his tea making skills provided (no doubt from all the practice he had had over the years) caused Alice to believe he might actually be able to produce a decent cup of tea.

Hatter slowly placed the cup filled with tea (if it could even be called tea at this point). An expression of displeasure formed on his face as the concoction touched his tongue. Despite the horrible taste, Hatter swallowed. Alice could not help but to chuckle at this as the look of distaste was still present upon Hatter's features as he placed the cup down on the stump.

"Well...," Hatter began, not fully knowing what to make of what he had just tasted. It was cold, lacked the wonderful flavor of tea, and was utterly terrible. "...that wasn't the best cup of tea I've had."

"But was it the worse?" Alice questioned, smiling innocently.

"I don't know," Hatter confessed, surprised that he could not answer the question. "It has been an awful long time since I have tasted such terrible tea."

"When was the last time you tasted terrible tea?" Alice inquired.

"When the Dormouse hosted a tea party," Hatter answered quickly, recalling the situation. The March Hare and himself did not know the Dormouse well enough at the time to realize he would fall asleep so many times while attempting to make tea. Not to mention, when he awoke from his small slumbers, the Dormouse would forget what he was doing before he fell asleep. Who knows what was in that tea Hatter and the March Hare tasted. Hatter could have sworn there was a taste of jelly in his cup.

"That sounds like a rather interesting tea party," Alice replied.

"I suppose...though now the March Hare and I only host the tea parties." Hatter then looked up at the sky once more. "We really should be going now." After all, the noontime tea was meant to only last a few minutes. However, Hatter gazed down at his cup as if contemplating an important decision. "Even though it was such terrible tea, I simply don't have the heart to throw it away!" Alice merely shook her head with a smile. She then took the cup from its place on the stump. After waiting a moment to see if Hatter would protest, she dumped the tea onto the ground for him. Luckily, he didn't seem to mind so it really must not have been very good tea.

Alice handed the cup to Hatter who cleaned the remains of the disgusting tea with a handkerchief before placing it back in his pocket. The two then rose from the small table and were about to continue on their journey.

"Having a little noontime tea are we?" an all too familiar voice that appeared omnipresent called out to them. It did not take long for the Cheshire Cat's grin to form on the very table the tea party (if it could even be called a tea party) had occurred.

"We were just about to leave," Alice replied as the Cheshire Cat was still gathering himself on the table.

"Off to see Father Tic Toc I suppose?" the Cheshire Cat inquired slyly.

"As a matter of fact, we were," Hatter replied.

"You know, some_times _you can leave things behind but have them always with you at the same _time_," the Cheshire Cat remarked.

"What are you trying to say?" Hatter demanded, not wanting to solve the Cheshire Cat's speaking in riddles. He was not very good at riddles after all.

"You can't possibly leave something behind but have it always with you at the same time," Alice insisted.

"Oh but you can," the Cheshire Cat replied.

"Alice, I believe this _kitty_," Hatter began, clearly insulting the Cheshire Cat, "is referring to our future encounter with Time."

"Perhaps I am or perhaps I am not. Only time will tell," the Cheshire Cat replied, completely ignoring the Hatter's insult. Before the two could question him further, the Cheshire Cat was beginning to disappear once more. "By the way, you really should have waited to have your noontime tea. There's bread and a bit of plum cake just a little ways further," the Cheshire Cat added before completely vanishing.

"What did he mean by 'bread and a bit of plum cake' I wonder?" Hatter inquired, becoming more interested in the idea of having much finer tea than what he had just had.

"I suppose we should just keep walking towards Time," Alice suggested. Hatter merely nodded in agreement and the too continued on their journey to Time.

It did not take them long to discover what the Cheshire Cat had meant by "bread and a bit of plum cake" for the dirt path was now leading them to a small village of some sort. A crowd had manifested in the center of the town. Curious, Hatter and Alice pushed their way through the crowd to find a lion and a unicorn in the center of the crowd.

"Now see here," the Lion was saying. He fixed the pair of glasses that were on his nose so that he may have a better look of the Unicorn. "I am rather tired of having to beat you around the town. So why don't we just skip to the bread and plum cake?"

"Are you mad?" the Unicorn replied, offended by the Lion's suggestion. "There is no way I would give up the crown so easily for the sake of bread and plum cake!"

"What do you suppose is going on?" Alice wondered, not recalling that she had met both the Lion and the Unicorn on a previous journey to Wonderland.

"I haven't the slightest idea," Hatter admitted.

"Perhaps we should help them? If that is what the Cheshire Cat was referring to," Alice suggested.

"I suppose. I do really wish to have some bread and plum cake after all. They both go exceptionally well with tea," Hatter reasoned.

The Lion and the Unicorn were just about to begin their fight (to which, the Lion was moving rather sluggishly towards his opponent), when Alice and Hatter stepped into the center of the circle with them.

"There really is no need for the two of you to fight," Alice interjected, attempting to create harmony between the two parties.

"Of course there is a reason for us to fight! A mere monster such as yourself would never understand such an intellectual concept as politics," the Unicorn replied.

"But I'm no monster!" Alice exclaimed, offended at such a remark.

"Indeed," Hatter added, attempting to defend her. Of course, this was not the best way to defend someone who had just been called a monster.

"We really must fight for the crown," the Lion insisted even though moments ago he was protesting the matter.

"What crown?" Hatter inquired.

"Why, the White King's crown of course," the Unicorn answered as if this was a ridiculous question.

"So you both serve the Red King and are attempting to take the White King's crown?" Alice inquired. Though, if they were both on the side of the Red King, it really did not make much sense for them to fight over who would conquer the White King.

"Why, that's a silly thing to say," the Unicorn replied. "Of course we both serve the _White_ King. Though, I should expect nothing less from a monster."

"But if you are both on the White King's side, why on earth should you want to take his crown? That's completely absurd!" Alice exclaimed.

"And Alice is not a monster. She's Alice," Hatter added.

"I do believe, the townspeople are providing the bread and plum cake," the Lion interjected as he pointed slowly towards a group of people who were setting a small table, placing bread and cake upon it.

"But we haven't even fought yet!" the Unicorn protested. Everything must go accordingly in his eyes. There were no short cuts.

"We might as well save our strength for when we get kicked out of town," the Lion replied reasonably.

"Have they got any tea with the bread and plum cake?" Hatter inquired. The simple look of the plum cake and bread was coaxing him to have some tea.

"I don't see why not," the Unicorn replied, appearing to now consent with the idea of having bread and plum cake.

Poor Alice became very confused by the sudden change of events. Though, she supposed since the fighting had ceased, there really was no point in sorting the matter out. By this time, Hatter had already made himself comfortable as he was now sitting at the table beside the Lion and the Unicorn. He was in the process of serving tea to everyone when Alice finally sat down. Aside from the tea, there was a bit of brown bread and white bread upon everyone's individual plate in addition to a small slice of plum cake.

"Does it not seem strange that no one else from the town is enjoying the small meal?" Alice could not help but to point out as the townspeople were waiting for the Lion and the Unicorn to finish.

"Oh, not to worry, they get their fair share," the Unicorn replied, taking a sip of tea.

"Indeed. Besides, they do not have to suffer the unfortunate event of being driven out of town everyday," the Lion added, eating some of his white bread.

"That is rather unfortunate," Hatter replied before taking a sip of his own tea. Judging from his expression, he was content with the taste and delighted by the fact he was now having proper tea.

"Yes, but if it is for the sake of the crown then it must be done," the Lion remarked, as if contradicting his previous statement once more.

"I suppose," Alice said, still not entirely sure why the two were fighting over the crown for their king in the first place.

"If I may, what brings two monsters such as yourselves to a town like this?" the Unicorn inquired.

"Two monsters?" Hatter could not help but to exclaim, nearly choking on his tea. He did not like the idea of being deemed a monster no more than Alice did.

"We're on our way to visit Time," Alice answered. She was now preparing to take a bite of the plum cake in addition to enjoying some tea.

"You don't say?" the Lion remarked, dipping some brown bread in his tea and then taking a bite of the soggy bread. Crumbs fell into the cup, remaining there, drifting within the tea.

"We _do_ say," Hatter replied.

"How interesting. I don't believe I've ever met Time," the Unicorn stated though it was clear from the tone in his voice that he was not interested in the subject matter.

"Wasn't he murdered quite a while ago?" the Lion inquired. Hatter began to slowly sink into his seat as if not wanting to draw attention to himself. Of course, this only caused more attention on him.

"Actually, that was a mistake. He was never really murdered," Alice corrected. She could see from Hatter's behavior he clearly did not want to discuss the controversial matter and Alice did not blame him.

"No, no, no. I could have sworn he was murdered by some singer or a sort," the Lion insisted.

"Yes, I remember now," the Unicorn chimed in. "The Queen announced that he had been murdered. Poor fellow. I don't believe his murderer was ever brought to justice. That is the sad part of it all."

"They really should have shut whoever it was in jail _before_ he had the chance to commit the crime!" the Lion exclaimed, nearly knocking his tea over.

"But he wasn't murdered!" Alice protested. "We wouldn't be going to see him if he was murdered."

"What a stupid thing to say. Of course you can visit Time even after he's been murdered. It's not like murdering him will stop Time," the Unicorn remarked.

"I don't believe I know what you mean," Alice replied, quite confused.

"See here: if you murder Time, time still continues on. It doesn't just stop all of a sudden. That's a mad way of thinking," the Unicorn answered. Hatter winced slightly at the Unicorn's answer as he _was_ a man who had felt time had completely come to an end due to the murder of Time.

"He's quite right you know. Once Time is murdered, he'll just come back again," the Lion added.

"But then that means...." Alice began, attempting to reason the Lion and Unicorn's explanations. "Hatter! Did you _really _murder Time?"

"Of course not!" Hatter exclaimed, offended even Alice was considering such a crime. Then again, he had been certain he _did_ murder Time at one point.

"Then, _you _murdered Time?" the Lion inquired, appalled by this new information.

"No!" Hatter returned, frantically attempting to defend himself. His constant exclamations however, appeared to only convince the Lion and the Unicorn that he was guilty.

"I knew there was something strange about these two monsters!" the Unicorn cried, ready to seize the two and force them to suffer for their crime even though it was only Hatter who could possibly be convicted.

However, the confrontation was cut short for it was now time for the townspeople to drive both the Lion and the Unicorn out of town. A swarm of people came charging towards the table filled with bread and plum cake. Hatter quickly grabbed Alice's wrist and pulled her away from the table. The two struggled to fight past the crowd as people came rushing in. The Lion's roar could be heard from behind them followed by a loud neigh of the Unicorn. Luckily, none of the townspeople bothered to attack the potential murderer of Time (for they were not eavesdropping on the conversation taking place at the table; that would be very rude indeed). While the people were too preoccupied with the Lion and the Unicorn, Alice and Hatter ran as far away from the town as they possibly could as though they were guilty of ending Time's life.

* * *

_I have wanted to incorporate the Lion and the Unicorn since the beginning of the story. _

_The Lion and the Unicorn come from a nursery rhyme in which the Lion and the Unicorn are fighting for the crown, the Lion kicks the Unicorn around town, Some people give them white bread and others give them brown, Some give them plum cake, and then they are both driven out of town. _

_In Through the Looking Glass, the Lion and the Unicorn are both fighting for the White King's crown (and they are on the White King's side). Supposedly, their picture was meant to look like two politicians the illustrator had drawn in a political cartoon. I must confess I did not re-read the chapter with the Lion and the Unicorn and instead read the nursery rhythm. And thus, we get this odd conversation. _

_I don't know how to make tea, I hardly ever drink it, therefore there may be misconceptions of Hatter's horrible tea. _

_I wasn't lying, it IS possible to stuff a teacup in a pocket. I had to do that for my Halloween costume so I know XD.  
_


	10. Tic Toc Your Time is Up

_Yes, here is the next chapter. I unfortunately do not have much to say...other than it is a bit shorter than the last chapters. But anyway, I hope you enjoy and review!  
_**

* * *

Tic Toc Your Time is Up**

Alice and Hatter were now walking at a sluggish pace as they attempted to catch their breath after being a safe distance from the town. Their feet dragged against the dirt path as their bodies were slightly hunched over. Roaring and neighing could still be heard in the distance so they guessed the townspeople were still attempting to drive the Lion and the Unicorn out of town. Alice stopped for a moment, searching for a possible place to rest for a bit.

"Alice, we can't stop now," Hatter protested. "We are on a very tight schedule."

"Us on a tight schedule?" Alice could not help but to laugh as she finally settled to rest on the ground since her clothes were already dirty. "And having tea twice today was part of the schedule I suppose?"

"Well...no," Hatter confessed. "But we really must reach Time as soon as possible." His speech, however, contradicted his actions as Hatter was now sitting on the ground as well. "Though I really wish you hadn't brought up the subject of Time Alice."

"I am awfully sorry," Alice replied, feeling rather guilty for having accused him of murdering Time when she had always been the one to reassure him that he did _not_ murder Time. Yet, all the same, Alice could not help but to think there was some truth to her accusation. "But, you know, if what they say is true, then you could have murdered Time without even knowing it," Alice stated as innocently as possible.

"Alice! I cannot believe I am hearing the words that are coming out of your mouth!" Hatter exclaimed, practically jumping out of the position he was already in. Luckily, he possessed enough self control to remain on the ground. "The moment I begin to convince myself I was accused of a crime I did not commit, everyone begins to think otherwise. Now what if it is true and I really _did _murder time?" It was clear that Hatter was beginning to grow nervous now in their inevitable confrontation with Time.

"Well, think of it this way," Alice began gently, now feeling guilty for having brought up her theory. "If you really did murder Time, then you can apologize to him when we meet him."

"Yes, that's true," Hatter admitted, thinking over Alice's proposal. "Oh! I only hope he isn't as merciless as the Queen of Hearts! I'll be done for if that's the case!"

"You mean you have no idea as to what sort of person he is? But surely someone has met him, haven't they?" Alice inquired.

"Never and if they have, no one discusses his personality," Hatter informed Alice. "All the more reason to be nervous. Perhaps, if I am lucky, I will only be sentenced for a little while in jail. That isn't so bad, you know." In truth, being sentenced to prison (at least the Queens' prisons) was a rather terrible experience. While serving as a messenger for the White Royalty, Hatter had been accused of a crime he had not yet committed. As policy, he had been sentenced to a few months in jail. Of course, this was when Alice was just beginning to visit Wonderland so there was no one to assist him other than the March Hare and no one dared to protest Wonderland law other than Alice (though he later found out Alice did address this strange policy of punishing criminals before the crime is committed to the White Queen). Those months in prison were some of the darkest times in Hatter's life. The cells were dirty with rats scurrying about the cell floor, occasionally attempting to bite whoever they could. There was only one window in the cell but it had been so high up, Hatter could barely gaze out to view the beautiful Wonderland scenery. What was worse, he had no tea to enjoy during his sentence. It had taken Hatter an awful long time to recover from the incident once he was released. Though of course he ultimately ended up committing the crime afterwards so there really was no reason to complain about his sentence.

"Don't worry Hatter, it will be all right," Alice replied reassuringly. "And, if he is as merciless as the Queen of Hearts, I won't let him lay a hair on your head."

"Really?" Hatter asked, looking up with a bit more reassurance present in his face. Not to mention, her kindness had sent a small pang to his chest.

"Really," Alice repeated, wanting Hatter to feel comfortable when they met Time. After all, if Hatter was a nervous wreck, who knew how Time would react to this? It would not be a very good first impression that was for sure.

"I really appreciate it Alice," Hatter replied, smiling even. "Thank you." It felt nice to know Alice was willing to defend him just as he was willing to defend her.

"You're quite welcome," Alice remarked, smiling as well.

With his new encouragement came a fresh source of energy as Hatter rose from his position on the ground. He walked over towards where Alice had been resting and held out a hand towards her. She took his hand without hesitation. "As soon as we return from our visit with Time, I will personally treat you to a nice cup of tea at the March Hare's tea party," Hatter remarked as he pulled Alice up to her feet.

"You really don't have to," Alice replied, laughing a little at his token of appreciation. He acted as if she wouldn't receive tea at the March Hare's party otherwise.

"Oh but I must," Hatter remarked as he began to lead Alice forward once more. "It's the least I could do."

"I'm sure," Alice replied as the two continued to stroll down the path together. There were now only a few trees remaining along the path with nothing but the clear blue sky to keep them company. The grass grew considerably tall to the point where some of it was now beginning to seep into the dirt path, attempting to overtake it.

"Alice," Hatter stated after some time. "Do you remember when we were first _properly_ introduced?" From the moment he had learned Alice was planning to leave Wonderland forever, Hatter had been trying to recover all possible memories of Alice as if attempting to relive the moments he had shared with Alice only this time with the love in his heart he now had. Only now did he actually address one of them to her. Why this particular memory came into mind, Hatter was not entirely sure.

The question caught Alice off guard at first as she was not expecting Hatter to bring up such a topic. However, once the question had its chance to seep into her brain, the memories began to depict vivid pictures within her head.

"Of course I remember," Alice stated though it was bringing up a time she was not particularly fond of. "It was at one of the Queens' banquets." Yes, she really did not like to think about her times as Queen. It was a rather boring segment out of all her various trips to Wonderland.

"That's right," Hatter replied, pleased that she was able to remember as clearly as he was.

"And the White Queen called you over," Alice recalled. "You were still a messenger for her I suppose?"

"Consider it a second job for when the hat industry wasn't going very well," Hatter clarified since he did not particularly enjoy that occupation and only took it when it was most necessary. He would much rather spend all his labor on creating hats for the citizens of Wonderland. Not to mention, being the messenger to White Royalty was what caused him to be sentenced to jail in the first place.

"Of course," Alice replied. "Then the White Queen said 'And this is my messenger Hatta'."

"I still don't understand why they insisted on calling me 'Hatta'," Hatter interjected, shaking his head at the same time. "'Hatter' is just fine."

"Indeed," Alice agreed. Even the March Hare had been given a different name when he was also employed in the White King's services. Perhaps the King and Queen had trouble remembering their names. "And then you said-"

"I said 'How do you do?'," Hatter once again interrupted, his enthusiasm rising as he attempted to re-enact the scene, causing Alice to giggle.

"And then _I_ said 'We've already met'," Alice replied, attempting to imitate the tone of voice she had used during the incident which consisted of a rather rude tone.

"You were really rude you know," Hatter teased after it had become apparent in Alice's voice.

"Only because you did not give very good first impressions with your own rudeness," Alice retorted, teasing as well.

"Either way, it was _you_ who ended the conversation," Hatter accused, attempting to clarify that Alice was rude in her childhood. Of course, this was not entirely accurate as he found Alice to be quite enjoyable company.

"Oh but Hatter, you're forgetting a whole segment of the conversation!" Alice exclaimed.

"I am?" Hatter questioned.

"You are. For, after I said 'We've already met' _you_ said 'Yes, at a tea party. She invited herself' and then I replied with 'Only because there were so many extra seats' to which you said 'That still does not mean you can simply seat yourself at a party to which you weren't invited to'. _Then _the conversation ended because the White Queen began to discuss how lovely tea parties are." Alice was nearly out of breath by the time she had finished the remainder of the conversation on her own, acting as three people.

"I never said such a thing," Hatter denied, looking away from Alice for a moment as he said this only to return his gaze towards her once more.

"Oh but you did Hatter," Alice returned gaily.

"Well...continue on with the story," Hatter replied, not wanting to admit he had been a rather rude fellow eight years ago. Alice merely shook her head at Hatter's remark, not entirely sure why she was telling the story to begin with.

"I don't really remember much else," Alice confessed, attempting to recollect the memories of so long ago. "Other than you, the March Hare, and the Dormouse seemed to be enjoying yourselves at your small table. That was why I decided to give your tea parties another chance." Indeed, she had requested of Hatter and the March Hare to be invited to one of their tea parties. Luckily, due to her status, they had no choice but to accept her request. While it had been a rather shaky start with strange stories of folk's tails and treacle, Alice eventually began to look forward to the tea parties to the point where she ultimately relinquished her title as Queen.

"What?" Hatter exclaimed, quite shocked with Alice's failed memories. "You mean you don't remember us dancing together?"

"We never danced Hatter," Alice replied flatly. Although she could not remember much more of the evening, she certainly would have remembered that much.

"Of course we did!" Hatter recalled, distinctly remembering the two having danced together. Without warning, Hatter took Alice's hand and began to dance with her. He guided Alice lightly across the ground as he waltzed with her. His strides were both long and graceful. However, Alice could not help but to laugh as Hatter directed her forward.

"Hatter, you are positively mad. I never danced with you," Alice could not help but to point out in a calm and gay manner. His behavior was rather unusual today for while Hatter was known to overstep personal boundaries, he would have never danced with her as he was now.

"Well then, we really must go dancing some day," Hatter replied. After all, Hatter simply was in no mood to argue.

"Perhaps we should attend a Wonderland ball," Alice offered with Hatter still dancing with her as though the two had been swept into a fairytale.

"Yes, someday we should," Hatter replied, happy that Alice suggested such a thing. "Though they can be rather mad at times."

"Everyone is mad in Wonderland," Alice countered thoughtfully.

"Very true," Hatter replied. He then abruptly stopped his dancing at that moment. His gaze focused solely on Alice. With his hands still lightly gripping onto Alice, he simply could not take his eyes off of her. A small sensation was beginning to creep over him. Although he had told himself he would not confess his feelings to Alice, at that particular moment, he wished to throw that logic out the window. Hatter wanted nothing more but to hold her, to have her close to him as she had been when she cried on the way to his house for reasons he had not known until recently. "Alice," Hatter murmured softly, mostly to himself rather than to Alice. He wanted nothing more but to bend down and kiss her lips that were now completely still.

The thought only passed through his mind for a second before Hatter felt his body experience a surge of heat. He could feel his face was turning red as Alice stared at him, waiting to hear the rest of the statement he had begun. Hatter dropped his hands to his sides as he attempted to search for something to say. "We're here," Hatter replied as a hint of relief filled his voice while he gazed upon the door to Time's house. At the same time, he cursed himself for slipping yet again. He only hoped Alice had not taken notice to his unusual behavior.

But Alice had noticed his behavior. For a brief moment, she was able to see a glimpse of Hatter's soul deep within his eyes. And she had never seen so much love, so much tenderness present in those dark eyes before. Well, this certainly explained Hatter's unusual (at least, more unusual) behavior. Yet, at the same time, Alice did not quite know what to make of it. It had happened so fast Alice thought perhaps she had imagined Hatter's inclinations. After all, she never expected Hatter to possess those types of feelings for her or anyone really. Alice chose not to respond to what she had seen in Hatter for fear of having imagined it and to save Hatter the embarrassment if it had been genuine (for he did look rather embarrassed by whatever he was about to really say). Instead, Alice gazed upon the door Hatter had just pointed out.

To call it a door would not do the entrance to Time's home justice. A mural encompassed the double door entrance. As if it were a picture book, from left to right read the history of the world. It began with a picture of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, luscious green surrounding the small picture. Christ broke bread at the table with his twelve disciples present, knowing full well it would be his last meal in the picture next to Eden. Daring soldiers traveled to fight in the Crusades in hopes of controlling the Holy Land in another. The fight for the Holy Land poured into famous paintings and artists to indicate the Italian Renaissance. Settlers then began to explore and cultivate the New World. Alice's eyes finally focused on the final picture depicting an open book where fictional characters and magical beings were rising out of its pages.

The two stared at the intricate design in awe. Hatter cautiously reached for the door knob, his persona entirely different than what it had been minutes ago. With a small twist of the knob, the door lightly swung open. All previous thoughts aside, the two stared at one another, uncertainty in their expressions. Hatter took a deep breath, his chest puffing up as a result and bravely stepped forward. Alice too took a deep breath before proceeding.

Clocks of various shapes and sizes ticked as they walked down a long hallway filled with them. Hourglasses hung from the ceiling, sand pouring down to the bottom. A cuckoo sprung out of its clock, informing everyone of the time. Both Alice and Hatter jumped slightly at this as it was not in sync with the other clocks but an abomination. The small cuckoo cuckooed to Alice and Hatter for only a short time before hibernating back in its home, awaiting its next opportunity to be released.

They then came to another large wooden door, this time depicting a large hourglass. The addition of another door only caused Alice and Hatter to feel even more tense than before. This time, Alice placed her hands on the door handle. With a small tug, she pulled the door open. This door was clearly older than the first one and a loud creak echoed throughout the hall as Alice tugged on the door. The loud noise sent a chill down both their spines. However, they had no time to ponder their current feelings of fear and curiosity: they simply walked forward.

The room was well lit with an assortment of lights yet Alice could not find the source of such lights as she gazed around the room which was nearly completely empty. A man in a long, dark blue robe stood at the far end of the room in front of a large chair. He held a staff in his right hand, his long, silver beard nearly reaching the floor. His calm, blue eyes stared at the two neither welcoming them nor turning them away.

Hatter stiffened upon being in the presence of Time. He wanted to remove his hat from the top of his head in an effort to show the upmost respect. However, at the same time, he was much too frightened to even move. In fact, a part of him wished it was possible to stop breathing at the very instant.

Alice, on the contrary, relaxed as she gazed upon the man who had been known as Time. For, she never imagined Time to be none other than Father Time! His image was identical to that of the one present in an old picture book of hers that now belonged to Edith.

"Pardon me...Mister...Time," Hatter remarked, attempting not to stutter but to sound as stern as possible. "My name is Hatter... and this is Alice." He could feel his knees locking into place as he waited for Time to respond.

"Ah yes, Hatter: the one who apparently murdered me sometime ago," Time replied calmly as he stepped closer towards the two. He rearranged the spectacles that provided him the gift of sight as he surveyed Hatter. Hatter stiffened even more as Time began to overlook him. "Well, you can clear your conscious Hatter. It was nothing more than a rumor," Time continued once he had finished inspecting. The tension in Hatter's shoulder's immediately disintegrated upon hearing this news. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Please sir, we acquire your assistance," Alice interjected as politely as plausible. Father Time shifted his gaze from Hatter to Alice. He stared at her for some time just as he had done for Hatter. Like Hatter, this made Alice slightly uncomfortable for she had no idea as to why he was surveying her.

"Is there any way for Alice to stay in Wonderland and grow up simultaneously?" Hatter inquired once Time had finished his inspection. "Or to not grow up at all?" While Alice did not like Hatter's last offer, she made no notion to argue against it.

"Time stops for no man, I'm afraid," Time replied somberly, "or woman. Alice will grow up."

"But will I be able to stay in Wonderland?" Alice asked hopefully. "Lorina said I would have to leave Wonderland in order to grow up." Time chuckled at Alice's naivety as it was clear she was dead serious in her remark.

"My dear, you never _had _to leave Wonderland," Time replied. "I thought at least the Caterpillar would tell you _that _much."

"What ever do you mean?" Alice inquired. Was there really a possibility that Lorina had been wrong and Alice never had to leave Wonderland? And to think she had taken Lorina's words so seriously!

"Are you saying Alice will be able to remain in Wonderland?" Hatter interjected, attempting to suppress his excitement.

"And that the Caterpillar knew all along?" Alice added as she processed the rest of Time's remark.

"The Caterpillar and the Cheshire Cat are much wiser than they make themselves to be. Of course, they are also rather mad. But I really should not judge the two: I spend all my time in here after all," Time answered, chuckling at his last remark. It was rather absurd when one thought about it especially when hardly anyone came to visit.

"Yes, but what about Alice?" Hatter pressed. "Will she ever be forced to leave Wonderland?"

"The only one who can force Alice to leave Wonderland is Alice herself. But that should come naturally. When the time is right, Alice will leave Wonderland behind her and move on towards adulthood."

"But then...that means...I will have to leave eventually," Alice said, disappointment filling her voice. It looked as though Lorina had been right after all: she would have to leave when she was ready.

"You have two choices Alice. You can either travel up the rabbit hole and leave Wonderland for the last time or you can continue to visit Wonderland and allow yourself to naturally leave." Time did not say anything for a while as Alice and Hatter pondered the information he had given them. Both their hearts were heavy at this new information. No matter what they did, one day, Alice would leave Wonderland and the two would never see one another again.

"What would you do?" Alice finally asked. On one hand, Alice really wished to stay in Wonderland as long as possible. However, Mary Ann's suggestion was now beginning to linger once again. Could she really continue to face her friends as they constantly pondered whether or not it would be her last visit? One day she would be in Wonderland and the next she would be gone forever without a single farewell. At least now she would be able to say goodbye to everyone just as she had been doing. Still, Alice did not enjoy thinking that she would have to make a choice between these two horrible decisions.

"My advice, Alice, would be to grow out of Wonderland naturally," Time answered. "Of course, I am not you and therefore should not be making such decisions. Only you can make this choice." Time's answer only caused more dismay within Alice. She then looked up at Hatter, hoping to also have some guidance from him. But Hatter offered no such thing. He merely gazed down back at her, trying his best not to demonstrate the current torment he was undergoing. So, Alice was to leave him after all and a time would come when he would never be able to gaze into her eyes again. This was most dreadful indeed and Hatter felt he might be dying inside all over again.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Time," Hatter said, now turning his attention towards the elderly man. Now that they had come this far only to remain where they started, Hatter wanted nothing more but to leave this place. "But we really should be going." Time merely nodded in agreement.

"Just remember that your future depends on the choices you make. I see you both have many possible futures, each relying on a set of choices you will both formulate," Time concluded.

"But," Alice could not help but to continue the conversation as Time revealed he was able to witness future events. "If you can see the future then you could tell me what the best choice is."

"I'm afraid I cannot. That is forbidden," Time replied calmly. "After all, if everyone was aware of their futures, they wouldn't be living. A part of life is the experiences we undergo and what we take from them. If everyone knew the experiences he or she would endure then there really would be nothing to gain from them. They would be too focused on completing the right sequence of events."

"Oh, I see. Well, thank you all the same," Alice remarked as politely as possible. She really did wish though Time would make an exception.

"You are quite welcome."

"Goodbye," Hatter and Alice said together though there was little enthusiasm in their voices and the two really wished to depart more than anything.

"Goodbye," Time replied.

With that, Alice and Hatter left Time alone in his room only feeling more lost and dreadful than ever before.

* * *

_Hatter is named Hatta in Through the Looking Glass and the March Hare is called Haigh or something of the sort. _

_Hatter's picture is depicted when the Queen explains how people are sentenced to jail before they commit a crime. Therefore, I can only guess that Hatter has indeed been in jail. _

_That is really all I have as far as facts go unless you want me to mention again that Time is Father Time XD.  
_


	11. Choices, Choices, Choices

_Well, it is about time I updated this! Yes, I am so terribly sorry readers. I planned to have this chapter out last weekend so that I would be able to get in two chapters for this break. But, alas, I caught the flu or something similar and could not work on this story at all last weekend. Not to worry though, I finally have this chapter completed. I hope you will all enjoy this and Happy Thanksgiving!!!! (belated Thanksgiving anyway...then again perhaps Happy UnThanksgiving XD = wow that was lame). Reviews are greatly appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged! Enjoy =D  
_**

* * *

Choices, Choices, Choices**

Both Alice and Hatter were trudging along the dirt path, wishing to get away from Time as soon as possible. It had nothing to do with Time's personality for he really was not a bad fellow. Hatter and Alice merely wished to be rid of the memories that had just been created moments ago.

With each passing step, Hatter's heart thumped even harder than before. He tried his best to remain as calm as plausible in order to mask his current feelings. Hatter was hoping, praying Alice would remain quiet the entire trip home. He was afraid if the subject was brought up between the two, it would only instill the fact that Hatter had let Alice down, that he was unable to keep his promise to her. His once confident physique as he urged Alice away from the White King's Palace was suddenly diminished. Now, he felt nothing more than a fool, a pitiful fool. But he was so sure Time would be able to help Alice, to find a way for her to be happy. However, those hopes were long gone, left behind at Time's home. All that remained was whatever time he had left to spend with Alice. Simply the thought of it all drove Hatter mad. And he was already mad enough to being with! Losing Alice forever was something his mind could not comprehend and when he did comprehend it, his heart only felt more pain. If only there was a way to ease his current pain...

Alice, meanwhile, was nearly turning mad herself. The debate she had thought was settled now resurfaced. Was she to leave Wonderland now as she had planned? Or would it be better to stay for as long as possible? Oh, this really was rather confusing! The more Alice pondered it, the more frustrated she felt. How was she supposed to come to such an awful decision? The thought was absolute torture. How anyone should have to endure such difficulty was beyond Alice. What made it worse was she not only had to consider her own feelings but the feelings of her friends as well. Which would be best for them, she wondered.

"To leave or not to leave: _that_ is the question," Alice could not help but to quote and alter the infamous line she had learned from her sister during one of her lessons. It appeared to fit perfectly with her situation. "What would _you _do Hatter?" Although she had asked him before at Time's home, she hoped perhaps now he would answer the question since they were alone.

"To be frank," Hatter replied sadly. "I haven't the slightest idea."

"You don't?" Alice inquired, a little disappointed that he had no answer. She was hoping to have some advice from him considering Hatter knew her better than Time did. At least, she thought so.

"No," Hatter confessed, disappointed with himself now. "In place of Alice I have no idea which to choose. But if you ask me the question as Hatter then I have an answer." Alice became rather puzzled by Hatter's logic though she did not mention this to him.

"Well then, what should I do Hatter?" Alice rephrased her question.

"That's an easy one: you should do whatever makes you happy," Hatter replied simply as though it were the simplest question in the world that required no explanation whatsoever.

"Oh Hatter! That isn't very helpful at all," Alice stated, feeling rather frustrated again yet somewhat amused by his answer. "Don't you see? Neither choice makes me very happy," Alice added, feeling rather gloomy again.

"I'm afraid that's my fault Alice," Hatter replied somberly. "I really _did_ think Time would be able to help you....but it looks like he wasn't much help at all. I got our hopes up for nothing. I'm sorry."

"Hatter, it isn't your fault," Alice replied gently. "At least you tried, right? And I'm glad you took me to see Time."

"Really?" Hatter inquired, thinking Alice merely said this just to cheer him up. He did not really see why she could possibly be glad they had traveled so far for nothing.

"Really," Alice repeated reassuringly. "We wouldn't have had as much fun as we did had we not gone to see Time."

"We did have fun, didn't we?" Hatter said after he thought over what Alice had said. Now that she had brought it up, they really did have some good fun even if the situation became rather mad at times.

"Yes," Alice answered. Hatter managed a smile of triumph: at least he was able to accomplish _something _during their trip to see Time. However, the thought of Alice leaving was still looming within the air, bringing him to a frown once more.

"Have you decided on what you are going to do yet?" Hatter inquired quietly. Despite his gloomy personality at the moment, he was desperately curious as to what her decision was.

"No," Alice replied sadly though normally his question would have made Alice laugh since she had indicated she did not know what she was going to do only a few minutes ago. The two looked at one another, dismayed.

The rest of the trip to Hatter's house was silent. Alice continued to wrestle with her decision, switching back and forth within minutes. Hatter could see the conflict occurring within Alice and felt it was best not to say anything to her as she pondered. Gradually, his mind began to be filled with emptiness. As the sky grew darker, Alice's head also became rather blank. Tiredness from the day's events was beginning to take its toll on Alice and Hatter to the point where they chose not to say anything simply because they were exhausted. Their feet dragged even more with each new step. Alice no longer bothered to figure out where they were currently located, merely trusting Hatter's sense of direction. However, had there been no path to guide them, Hatter surely would have gotten lost for he too was much too tired to deduce their position. As they neared his house, Hatter nearly forgot that the two were meant to stop at the March Hare's house. Luckily, he was able to recall this information before they passed the March Hare's home.

Tall torches were lit around the perimeter of the March Hare's garden. The overly long table was still stretched out, nearly reaching the opposite ends of the yard. Plates, teacups, pots, utensils, and other necessities for a tea party were still lying calmly on the table, waiting for someone to use them. The March Hare sat as calm as ever in one of the many chairs surrounding the table as he fiddled with an empty teacup out of boredom. Milo was situated on his right, staring off into a never ending void. The Dormouse, sitting on the other side of the March Hare, was naturally sleeping, his head using a plate for a pillow.

The March Hare's ears perked up as he heard Hatter and Alice approaching. His teacup came down upon the table with a crash as he let go of it while looking towards the direction of the sound. Hatter and Alice, now completely wiped from their adventures of the day, trudged as slow as ever across the March Hare's lawn, towards the table where seats were waiting for them.

"Where have you been?" the March Hare inquired impatiently, clearly not expecting them to be so late. "And what the devil happened to you?" he added upon seeing Alice and Hatter's torn clothes.

"We went to see Time," Hatter answered, drowsiness present in his voice, after gazing at Alice for a brief moment.

"Time! My goodness!" the March Hare exclaimed, having enough energy to compensate for the energy lacking in both his friends. "I did not think he would be _that _ferocious! Oh, you must tell me all about it at once!"

"He didn't tear our clothes: _that _was a Jabberwocky," Hatter explained.

"A Jabberwocky!?" the March Hare gasped. "Start from the beginning! Oh wait, we must wake up the Dormouse. He really should hear all of this. Dormy! Wake up!" the March Hare continued, slamming his hand on the table near the Dormouse's head causing Alice and Hatter to jump a little. Unfortunately, the Dormouse was sound asleep. The March Hare then tried shaking the Dormouse but to no avail. Once this was a failure, the March Hare lifted up the Dormouse's head. He then grabbed a nearby teapot and poured the tea into the Dormouse's mouth. The Dormouse's eyes shot open for a second before he spit the tea across the table. His eyes then once again closed only now he was sitting up.

"What is going on?" the Dormouse inquired, rather irritated that the March Hare would go to such lengths just to wake him up.

"Hatter has returned and he's brought Alice with him," the March Hare informed the Dormouse.

"Well what took so long?" the Dormouse asked as his head was slowly making its way to the pillow plate once more.

"Hatter was just about to explain," the March Hare replied. "Get on with it Hatter! How did you come into contact with a Jabberwocky?"

"A Jabberwocky?" the Dormouse repeated, his voice quivering ever so slightly, his head lifting again.

"A Jabberwocky," the March Hare repeated. Hatter sat down across from the March Hare while Alice took a seat next to him. The March Hare poured everyone a bit of tea while the two situated themselves at the table. Hatter then began to explain how he came into the forest and found Alice being attacked by a Jabberwocky. Hatter occasionally glanced towards Alice to see if she wished to add anything to the story. But Alice was much too concerned with telling the March Hare she would have to leave Wonderland in addition to deciding what she was to do next. Therefore, Hatter was left to describe the events until it came time to when he was explaining what had happened in the White King's Palace. It was then that Alice was forced to interject and explain to the March Hare she had originally come to Wonderland thinking it would be her last visit and she was awfully sorry for not telling him. Luckily, Hatter had hooked the March Hare into the story beforehand so he did not seem as troubled by the information as he would have on a regular basis. At least for now. Once the group had gotten past the somber topic, Hatter continued the story while enjoying his tea.

"This is absolutely dreadful," the March Hare finally stated, shaking his head after hearing the sad news that Alice and Hatter's efforts had failed. "I think I'm glad I was forced out of the nest as opposed to not being able to see my friends again. At least I can _see _my brothers and sisters if I want to."

"Indeed," the Dormouse agreed.

"Though of course, I never really want to," the March Hare added, thinking about his rather dysfunctional and irritating family.

"Either way, it's still a choice," Hatter interjected.

"Indeed," the Dormouse repeated.

"So…what's next?" the March Hare inquired cautiously.

"What do you mean?" Hatter replied.

"I mean, is Alice going to stay for as long as she can or is she going to leave right away?" the March Hare answered.

"She hasn't decided," Hatter informed the March Hare, however, he said this rather lowly in hopes that Alice wouldn't hear (which of course she did). The March Hare and Hatter stared at her warily as she was still rather silent for the most part. They could not decide if she was silent because she was pondering what to do next or if it was because she was merely dismayed that she would have to make such a decision. Of course, she could have also been silent due to both reasons. Either way, Alice did not respond to their odd behavior as she normally would have. She merely continued to stare at her empty plate with an elbow rested on the table so that she may use her hand to support her head (which, as Alice would have normally pointed out, was very ill mannered of her). While the two were still exchanging glances, the Dormouse had quickly fallen asleep once more and was beginning to snore.

The low snoring of the Dormouse awakened Alice from her little trance. Her elbow was removed from the table, hands folded in her lap which was her customary posture when there was little activity going on at the table. She stood tall in her seat, her eyebrow raised as she wondered why the March Hare and Hatter were staring at her so peculiarly. But they didn't tell her why. Hatter and the March Hare merely resumed their previous positions at the table. The March Hare took a sip of his tea. Eyes now focusing on the soothing drink, Hatter held out his own cup and the March Hare filled it to the brim once he had finished pouring himself some. Both took a sip: the hot liquid appearing to cleanse them of their current worries. The two silently enjoyed their tea though even the tea could not rid them of the tense atmosphere surrounding the party.

The silence made Alice quite uncomfortable. Though it was what she needed in order to think clearly while making her decision. Still, she wondered if these silent tea parties would now occur often if she decided to remain in Wonderland for just a bit longer. Alice knew one thing was for certain: now that she possessed such knowledge, Wonderland would never be the same. The idea of departing would always hang over her like a stormy cloud that just wouldn't go away and she wondered if it was possible for her to handle such a burden.

With this in mind, Alice heaved a heavy sigh.

"Alice," Hatter remarked gently. "Perhaps it would be best if you gave yourself some more time to decide. At least wait until morning." But Alice merely shook her head before rubbing her eyes.

"I....I wish to go home tomorrow," Alice stated lowly, partially ashamed of what she was saying.

"Oh...well all right," was all Hatter managed to say. He glanced towards the March Hare, both not wanting to ask the question of whether or not Alice meant her wanting to go home was a sign that this was her last visit.

"I'm...I'm going to go home through the rabbit hole," Alice forced forward, her lips not wanting to utter those words. Upon Alice's remark, Hatter and the March Hare shrunk in their seats. Sadness swept over them at their friend's final words. Yet, despite this overwhelming sadness within the two, they tried their best not to show these emotions for they did not want to upset Alice further.

"I shall take you there in the morning," Hatter attempted to say as calmly as possible. However, there was still a hint of remorse in his tone of voice.

"Thank you Hatter," Alice replied softly.

"And I'm coming as well," the March Hare declared.

"Me too," the Dormouse chimed in, his head raising from the table only to once again fall back into place after his statement was complete.

"How could you possibly come if you are always asleep?" the March Hare questioned, shifting the conversation.

"I will manage," the Dormouse replied, not bothering to raise his head again.

"Then it's settled: we will all escort you to the rabbit hole Alice," Hatter said reluctantly but his voice not hinting such an emotion. "Why don't we all go to my house? Alice can sleep while we plan for tomorrow."

"Oh but that wouldn't be very fair Hatter," Alice protested.

"It's really no trouble at all. I have some maps we can use," the March Hare insisted. He then arose from his seat, running towards his house where the maps would be located.

"You really don't have to do all this," Alice remarked, attempting to stop the March Hare but it was too late for the March Hare was continuing towards his destination. "At the very least, I should help with the planning as well."

"Nonsense. You're exhausted, Alice: you look as though you may fall asleep at any moment just like the Dormouse," Hatter said after motioning towards the sleeping creature.

"But so are you," Alice countered. Hatter _did _look a bit drowsy though he was not nearly as disheveled as Alice.

"True but once I finish this cup of tea, I will feel completely refreshed," Hatter replied before sipping his current cup of tea. Alice was about to continue her protesting but she knew Hatter _would _be fully energized after the cup of tea since he was already on his second cup. Not to mention, she _was _feeling a bit drowsy now that Hatter brought it up.

"Here we are!" the March Hare exclaimed as he came back with a stack of maps piling way over his ears.

"That's perfect," Hatter replied, trying desperately to demonstrate some enthusiasm, upon seeing the maps. "We shall be able to plan our course tonight."

"Wake up Dormy, we're leaving," the March Hare said as he made his way towards the exit of the garden. However, the Dormouse was fast asleep. The March Hare was in no mood or in position to awaken the Dormouse once again. "Somebody grab him," the March Hare instructed. "Oh yes, and Milo too."

Without another word, Hatter arose from his own seat as well and picked the Dormouse up. He struggled a bit as the Dormouse was surprisingly rather heavy. However, once he had a good grip of the Dormouse, Hatter began to follow the March Hare out of the garden. Following Hatter's example, Alice gently lifted Milo (who was much lighter than the Dormouse) and carried him out of the garden.

The three marched in a rhythmic procession towards Hatter's house. Though, oddly enough, even after they had left the garden, the March Hare was still leading the way. This became rather problematic as the March Hare began to lose his way due to the darkness. To solve the puzzle, the procession was forced to halt as Hatter and the March Hare switched places within the line. Once Hatter was in the lead, the three were able to find his house within a few minutes. When they approached the doorway, Hatter was forced to put the Dormouse on the ground while he went inside to turn on the lights before returning to show everyone inside.

Hatter sat the Dormouse in one of the more comfortable chairs located in the main room of the house. Alice imitated his actions by placing Milo in another chair though she did not think Milo really needed his own seat. Maps were now resting on the small table located near the center of the room courtesy of the March Hare who was now attempting to find his own seat.

"Do you need me to show you where your room is Alice?" Hatter inquired as he faced Alice.

"No, I can manage Hatter, thank you," Alice replied. Hatter then surveyed Alice for a moment, something unsettling in his expression. Alice became nervous by this expression, almost afraid of what was bothering him.

"I completely forgot," Hatter stated rather suddenly. "You haven't got any clothes for tomorrow." Alice looked down upon her tattered clothes, once again forgetting how torn up they had become. She supposed she could wear these very same clothes tomorrow however Alice was not very fond of this idea. It really wasn't very suitable to be walking about in rags even in Wonderland. Yet, what was she to do? Hatter certainly did not have any clothes for her to wear. "Perhaps I shall see if a tailor is open. Hopefully they will have something for you to wear," Hatter offered.

"It is much too late for a tailor," the March Hare remarked as he searched for a possible alternative. "I would say to ask the Queen of Hearts but I don't think she would let you borrow her clothes especially if you have no intention of returning it."

"Oh, I know," Alice said thoughtfully. "Mary Ann may have something for me to wear."

"Who?" Hatter inquired.

"The White Rabbit's servant," Alice said, forgetting she never really discussed her friendship with Mary Ann and when she did the three never seemed to retain this information. "Her name is Mary Ann."

"I believe I've heard of her," the March Hare said thoughtfully.

"Yes, the name _does _sound familiar," Hatter added. Alice tried desperately to suppress her giggle at the two's comments. She had no doubt the March Hare may have possibly, vaguely remembered her mentioning Mary Ann; however, Alice knew very well Hatter was merely pretending to recall the name seeing as he had no clue who Alice was talking about before.

"She doesn't live too far from the White Rabbit's house," Alice informed the two. With the White Rabbit's demands, Mary Ann was nearly forced to live nearby.

"Then I will go see Mary Ann tonight," Hatter declared. "In the meantime, I suggest you get some rest Alice. We've got a long day tomorrow." Alice nodded reluctantly. She was beginning to feel like a child again with the way Hatter was treating the situation. Alice should like to think there was _some _way she could assist. They were going to be traveling to the rabbit hole because of her after all. Yet, at the same time, Alice was very tired and would like nothing more than to rest her head. With this in mind, Alice decided to swallow her pride and consent to Hatter's requests.

"Goodnight," Alice remarked to Hatter and the March Hare.

"Goodnight Alice," the March Hare replied. Alice waited for Hatter to respond to her parting. However, he merely stared at her as if debating about whether or not to tell her something again. Once more, Alice became rather nervous from the look present in Hatter's eyes for whatever it was he wished to tell her it was causing him distress. It was very similar to the look he had given her just before the two had arrived at Time's home. Eventually, Hatter merely sighed.

"Goodnight Alice," Hatter finally said, a sadness still vaguely hidden within his expression. While Alice felt she ought to address the issue, a part of her knew that he was most likely still upset with her leaving. She did not blame him of course for she too was still rather sad about the whole thing. Yet, what more could she say to him in order to clear the atmosphere surrounding them? Not being able to find a solution to this question, Alice merely nodded towards the two of them before leaving the room, heading off to bed for the night.

Even though Alice had been gone for nearly two minutes, Hatter was still standing in the same spot, gazing towards where she had left them as though she had only left a second ago. Hatter sighed once more before removing his overly large top hat, brushing a hand through his disheveled black hair. As he placed his top hat back on his head, Hatter turned towards the March Hare. To his surprise, the March Hare gave him a rather odd look. His beady eyes were wide yet one of his eyebrows was raised while the other crinkled just above his eye; his pink nose was scrunched up causing his whiskers to twitch about. His mouth was neither a frown nor a smile but rather somewhere in between.

"What?" Hatter inquired.

"I can't believe you're just going to let her go like that," the March Hare stated, clearly disappointed to the point where he was nearly reprimanding Hatter's actions. Hatter felt his face shoot to a crimson color.

"Wha-what are you talking about?!" Hatter exclaimed, nearly falling over at the March Hare's remark for he had been caught completely off guard.

"Don't try to hide it anymore!" the March Hare pointed accusingly. "I _know_ you've had feelings for Alice."

"How could you possibly know if I've only known for a few hours?" Hatter nearly shouted with astonishment.

"Hatter, it's been so obvious that you've had feelings for Alice I'm surprised Alice hasn't figured it out. I was just waiting for _you _to realize it, and I can see you have since you don't take your eyes off her," the March Hare replied, rolling his eyes at the last bit of his statement for he was only fond of the romantic sappiness love ensues upon others during the month of March. Hatter merely stood there, dumbfounded. Had he really been that obvious? If someone as mad as the March Hare could put the pieces together then surely it must be true. This made Hatter feel rather foolish for not being able to recognize his own feelings for so long. Yet, at the same time, the March Hare's knowledge allowed Hatter to relax and no longer shield his feelings of sadness.

"It's too late anyway," Hatter replied somberly. "She's leaving tomorrow."

"All the more reason to stop her and tell her how you feel," the March Hare insisted, now trying his best to keep his voice down so Alice would not hear. "This is love we're talking about Hatter! You can't just let something like this fly by you!" the March Hare ended, his voice reaching a crescendo as he became more enthusiastic.

"Shh! Keep it down, will you?" Hatter replied. The two waited a moment, listening intently, hoping not to hear footsteps from upstairs. "And besides," Hatter continued once he was sure Alice was no where near. "even if Alice _could_ stay, I wouldn't stand a chance. We don't even live in the same world, remember?" The March Hare did not respond right away, contemplating his points.

"That may be true," the March Hare admitted. "But maybe if you told her your feelings, she'd stay."

"Or," Hatter countered, "it would only cause her more stress than before."

"You should still try," the March Hare argued. Hatter did not respond to the March Hare's comment. "At the very least, consider it. You have all day tomorrow and then that's it. We'll never see her again. So at least _think _about it." There was a heavy silence within the room to the point where the only thing that could be heard was the house creaking and the Dormouse's low snores.

"I'm going to Mary Ann's," Hatter finally stated. "I'll be back shortly." He then fixed the top hat on his head and was out the door.

Meanwhile, Alice had finished placing Hatter's large shirt on as a nightgown (a short nightgown at that). She quickly buried herself under the covers, gazing towards the window with closed curtains. Alice wondered if Hatter had left to visit Mary Ann yet. She wondered what sort of conversation the two would have. Alice imagined it to be a rather awkward conversation. After all, Hatter did not know much about Mary Ann. Of course, Mary Ann did know much about Hatter. Perhaps Mary Ann would be able to smooth the discussion. Alice then wondered what sort of dress Mary Ann would allow her to keep. It would be rather funny if she ended up giving Alice an extra maid outfit. Mary Ann _was_ the sort of person to do something like that. In exchange, Alice imagined Hatter to offer Mary Ann either a free hat or a nice cup of tea. Of course, she was leaning more towards the tea offering. However, Hatter _did _look rather upset so perhaps he would not offer her any sort of compensation due to forgetfulness. She still could not help but to wonder what exactly Hatter had been meaning to tell her. Gradually, as Alice's mind continued to imagine a variety of possible conversations between Mary Ann and Hatter, Alice drifted off into a deep, unsettling sleep

* * *

_The idea of the March Hare waking the Dormouse up by pouring tea into his mouth was from a production I saw of Alice in Wonderland at my friend's college. It was not that great of a production though the Cheshire Cat amused me very much. Hatter could have been better but the funniest scene did end up being the Mad Tea Party so he wasn't so terrible. And Alice....well....a majority of the time I couldn't hear a word she said. _

_Oh dear...there was another reference I wanted to mention....but I don't remember. I just skimmed the story and it simply won't come to me. Well, if I remember, I will edit it in. _

_My school will also be putting on their own production of Alice in Wonderland and I am actually assisting the director. I even gave her the first two chapters of this story =D. Well, that is all for now. The Monk finale is on....so I'm going to watch it XD. Tata!  
_


	12. Scrambled Eggs With a Ghost

_Hello again! Yes, it has been some time since my last update but I have finished the chapter! I hope you enjoyed the Alice miniseries (for those of you who watched it) as much as I did. Especially the ending! Because that's how it should be people! That's how it should be. And did anyone notice the White Knight had the same name as the White Knight in this story? They did their research clearly! It only makes me want to watch Tim Burton's Alice more! Thank you for all the reviews since I know some people reviewed on anonymous accounts so I cannot thank them personally. But thank you either way! Enjoy this chapter and reviews are always welcome as usual.  
_**

* * *

Scrambled Eggs With a Ghost**

"Alice," Alice heard someone called her. For a moment, she thought perhaps she was waking from a dream and she would find herself in her room with her sister pestering her to wake up. However, this idea was quickly dismissed as the voice who was urging her to wake was clearly a man's voice. Perhaps it was her father who had decided to venture into her room and disturb her slumber. She wondered where Dinah or Snowdrop or Kitty was: it was normally their job to wake her up. A gentle hand shook her shoulder a bit in hopes of coaxing her awake. Alice slowly opened her eyes to find Hatter staring down at her. He was fully dressed in a gray frock coat with lavender patches covering holes located on the coat's sleeves. "We're going to be leaving soon," Hatter continued gently once he saw Alice was awake. Alice merely nodded in acknowledgment as she rubbed her eye. Hatter was now moving away from her, proceeding towards the door frame. "Your dress is at the edge of the bed. Mary Ann sends her regards," Hatter concluded before leaving Alice so that she may prepare for the day.

Once Hatter was gone, Alice sat up in bed. She stretched for a moment, yawning. Just at the edge of her bed, a light blue dress was resting as Hatter had said. Alice crawled out of bed and lifted the dress curiously. It was a rather long dress, reaching down to Alice's ankles. A white lace connected with black thread was trimmed at the very top of her dress. Black buttons trailed from where the blue portion of the dress began to where her belly button was located. Pleased with her new garment, Alice hurriedly tried it on. Once she had finished placing it on, she stared down admiringly at her new dress. Twirling around, Alice gazed into the mirror so that she may see the dress from afar. Remembering what Hatter had said, Alice stopped the praise she was giving her outfit and proceeded downstairs where new adventures awaited her.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**

"No, no, no, the rabbit hole is _this _way!" Hatter insisted as he pointed on the map the March Hare was currently holding out. The small party had decided to take a momentary break and was currently enjoying some butterfly bread. At least, Alice was still enjoying her bread: Hatter and the March Hare had been bickering for about five minutes now over which direction they ought to go while the Dormouse and Milo sat quietly next to her. It was strange to find Hatter and the March Hare so enthusiastic upon reaching the rabbit hole. Hadn't they been upset to see Alice leave just hours before? Alice felt slightly saddened by this despite the fact she knew the only reason they were acting as mad as ever was so not to have the entire journey surrounded by the dark atmosphere that festered over them the night before.

"Look at the compass: it's clearly stating we must go East," the March Hare countered.

"That compass isn't pointing East," Hatter argued.

"Of course it is! East is the direction you hold your teacup."

"That's West."

"It's North," the March Hare insisted.

"South," Hatter countered.

"Confound it! I can't read this blasted map!" the March Hare cried in agitation, nearly throwing the map to the ground only to stop himself at the last instant. Hatter then took the map from the March Hare and began to scan its contents.

"Nor can I!" Hatter cried out in agreement. "Who made this map anyway?" Hatter furiously began to explore all corners of the map as he hunted for who was responsible for creating such a ludicrous documentation. "Of course this map is useless! It's from the White King's palace and they never know where they're going!"

"Let's look at another map then," the March Hare replied, taking another one of his many maps out. The two gazed at it together. However, their expressions once again slipped into confusion as they stared at the odd symbols covering the piece of paper.

"Perhaps I should have a look," Alice offered upon seeing their confused expressions.

"There's no need: we have everything under control," Hatter insisted, pulling the map away from her direction as though she might have a peek of its contents.

"Oh really?" Alice remarked.

"Yes," Hatter replied, gazing once more upon the map.

"Besides, I'm fairly sure Wonderland maps are quite different than your maps," the March Hare added, looking up for a brief moment to address Alice before returning to his work. "I must confess I can't read this one either."

"Try another one," Hatter instructed. And so the March Hare opened yet another map. Not to Alice's surprise, the two stared at it for a moment before they consented to draw yet another map out. By this time, Alice was convinced neither of them knew how to read a map properly. Becoming impatient, Alice rose from her seat on the soft grass and walked towards the two. She practically swiped the map from Hatter's clutches (who luckily let go on time otherwise Alice and Hatter would have ripped the map in two). However, once Alice finally got a hold of the Wonderland map, she could see it _was _quite different than a normal map. Odd squiggly lines covered the entire surface of the map; the coloring made little to no sense. Even the compass rose was quite strange: North and South were where Southwest and Northeast should have been respectively while East and West were where North and South should have been. Alice still strained to make sense of the map, much too proud to admit the March Hare had been correct. "Well?" Hatter finally persisted.

"I can't read it either...." Alice clenched through her teeth.

"So now what do we do?" the March Hare wondered aloud.

"I suppose we'll have to get directions from someone," Alice suggested as she gazed around in hopes that someone could be in the area. However, the only thing Alice was able to see were the unusually high mushroom trees and the strange hedges shaped into various animals.

"We'll just have to keep walking until we find someone," Hatter remarked as he too was searching for someone who could possibly guide them. He then walked over towards where the Dormouse was currently sleeping. Lifting him up, Hatter began to stroll in a random direction. Following him, Alice picked Milo up; walking towards the direction Hatter had begun to take. Still convinced he could figure out how to read the map, the March Hare trailed behind Alice as he gazed down upon the map's contents.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**

"Oh! Over there!" Alice cried as she could see a figure off in the distance. The small group was now coming to a large wall covered in vines. Sitting on the wall was what appeared to be a man as it was clear his legs were dangling over the edge of the wall. However, once the group drew closer, it was clear the man was not a man but instead an overly large egg.

"Why, it's Humpty Dumpty!" Hatter exclaimed once his brain was able to register who the citizen of Wonderland was.

"If that is Humpty Dumpty, then we are certainly going to the wrong way," Alice declared knowing full well the rabbit hole was no where near Humpty Dumpty and his wall.

"Either way, we should ask him for directions," the March Hare interjected, hopping a little at the sight of him with joy.

"Who goes there?" Humpty Dumpty called as it was very hard not to hear such a large group as Alice, Hatter, and the March Hare. His voice was a little panicked for there were simply too many people near him to his liking.

"Don't you remember me, Mr. Dumpty?" Alice inquired once they were directly in front of the wall.

"No," Humpty Dumpty replied flatly.

"But...do you not recognize me?" Alice further persisted. She was certain this was the same Humpty Dumpty she had met in her childhood. It was true he now had multiple cracks encompassing his egg-shaped body that were clearly glued together but he was still the same Humpty Dumpty none the less.

"No," Humpty Dumpty replied once more, more irritated than before. "You and that man next to you look the same. The shorter one's a bit different." Alice, Hatter, and the March Hare exchanged glances, clearly thinking they all looked very different from one another.

"Perhaps he doesn't recognize you because you've grown older and look slightly different now," the March Hare offered sympathetically.

"That must be it," Alice replied, trying to cheer herself up.

"Even if you don't recognize us, my name is Hatter. This is Alice, and the March Hare," Hatter remarked, motioning to both Alice and the March Hare when he mentioned them. "And this is Dormy and Milo....though they don't talk much," Hatter added.

"Ah, Hatter. I'm fairly certain I recognize the name," Humpty Dumpty replied. "Never heard of the rest of you."

"But we've met before!" Alice exclaimed, now quite irritated with Humpty Dumpty.

"Well, you mustn't have created a very good impression on me for I don't recall you at all," Humpty Dumpty replied.

"Alice...." Hatter attempted to calm her down, wanting to remain on task with finding directions to the rabbit hole.

"Well, you should remember me: you fell off the wall right after we met!" Alice cried out. Humpty Dumpty jingled a bit at the mention of falling off the wall as though Alice's statement seemed to trigger a series of memories Humpty Dumpty wished to forget.

"Yes, yes! You were she who caused me to fall off my wall!" Humpty Dumpty now exclaimed, pointing towards Alice as though she were a little demon. Defensively, Alice placed her hands on her hips.

"I did not!" Alice retorted. "You fell off on your own accord!"

"Alice...." Hatter repeated for she was now moving closer to the wall. He reached out to stop her, nearly dropping the Dormouse in the process. But Alice was moving much too quickly for him to stop her. As soon as Humpty Dumpty saw Alice moving towards him, he hastily attempted to back away from her. In doing so, he lost his balance momentarily.

"He's going to fall!" the March Hare exclaimed as he noticed Humpty Dumpty was about to fall backward. But before anyone could help the poor creature, he had already fallen. Everyone stood there in silence as he plopped to the ground, his shell no doubt flying in multiple directions. Immediately, the party heard someone (no doubt one of the King's men) blow a horn in the distance.

"Oh are we having eggs for breakfast?" the Dormouse questioned as he opened his eyes momentarily upon hearing the egg splat on the ground.

"I think it's best if we leave now...." Hatter remarked, ignoring the Dormouse's comment. Alice and the March Hare nodded in unison before the group was running at top speed away from the severely injured Humpty Dumpty. As cruel as their abandonment seemed, there was really nothing they could do for if they chose to stay Humpty Dumpty would surely accuse them of crime and they had no time to stand trial (not to mention, they would most likely be found guilty and thus be sentenced to jail). Fortunately, the King's men had such difficulty placing Humpty Dumpty back together again that by the time Humpty Dumpty was fully assembled, his head had been so scrambled he was unable to recall who it was that forced him to come tumbling off the wall.

"Well _now _what are we to do?" Hatter questioned to no one in particular, a hint of annoyance present in his voice. He wiped the sweat off his brow with a handkerchief, having exerted a good bit of energy from the running. After the sweat vanished from his face, Hatter pulled another lavender handkerchief out of his pocket and gave it to Alice who was nearly out of breath. She received the token graciously to clean her own face which was also a bit sweaty though nowhere near as bad as Hatter who was forced to lug the Dormouse with him while Alice only had to worry about Milo.

"I suppose we will have to look for someone else to give us directions," the March Hare offered, no hint of agitation or discomfort in his voice. Running fast was one of his specialties; it was in his blood to run at exceptionally fast rates.

"But that could take hours," Alice complained as she handed back Hatter's handkerchief. While Alice was still upset to be leaving Wonderland forever, she could not help but to feel a bit homesick. This was the longest amount of time she had ever spent in Wonderland. Normally, she never dreamed of spending the night in Wonderland, merely staying there quite late (sometimes until two in the morning) before returning home. But, she had spent _two_ nights in Wonderland during this trip and, to be frank, she was becoming irritated with the heavy amount of madness she was forced to sit through. It was simply too much for a civilized girl such as herself.

"Well at least it will give some people time to get their affairs in order," the March Hare could not help but to comment even if Alice was able to understand what he was referring to. They had traveled for what the March Hare deemed as a decent amount of distance and yet Hatter still refused to say anything to Alice regarding his feelings for her. What the devil was he waiting for? What angered him more was the fact Hatter was not showing even the slightest bit of emotion. But emotion was the key component in convincing Alice to stay! There was nearly no time left. The March Hare was beginning to think Hatter would never tell Alice and this worried him very much. What was to become of his friend once Alice was gone forever? Would he be nothing more than an empty shell?

Hatter, having heard the March Hare's comment, was about to step on his foot in order to silence the hare. However, luckily, he remembered the March Hare was barefoot therefore if Hatter stepped on the March Hare, he would surely crush the poor creature's foot! Hatter had no intention of doing this to his best friend and stopped himself from committing the vicious act. Had the March Hare been wearing shoes, that would have been another story altogether. Instead, Hatter merely glared down upon the March Hare, his eyes commanding him to be silent. But it was too late: Alice was already tilting her head at the March Hare's remark.

"Affairs?" Alice inquired. Hatter demonstrated an alarming look as though Alice really knew exactly what the March Hare had been referring to, as if she could see right _through _him. Oh, she knew, she most certainly knew (which, of course, she did _not _know and found Hatter's expression to be quite puzzling).

"Yes, you know, it gives us plenty of time to say our goodbyes," the March Hare answered swiftly. "And enjoy our time together… and that sort of thing."

"Oh," Alice replied though she could not help but to feel a bit confused.

"Enough of this talk," Hatter said, desperately trying to diverge the subject before Alice continued to ask more questions about the matter. "We really need to get a move on. Especially since we must stop for tea at noon soon."

"Ah yes, we can't forget that," the March Hare replied as though it were the most important thing in the world. Alice decided it was best to merely consent to their schedule and proceed along their journey.

However, the party was not able to walk very far before the March Hare stopped dead in his tracks. It took Alice and Hatter a few minutes before they realized the March Hare was far behind them, completely still.

"What's the matter?" Alice inquired, a bit frightened by his nature. His beady eyes were wide as he sniffed occasionally as though danger was approaching.

"Did you not hear that?" the March Hare questioned as he looked around for a source to the mysterious noise he had heard.

"Heard what?" Hatter replied as he too attempted to listen, placing a hand to his ear as though this would assist him. The three were silent for a moment as they strained their ears.

"Boo!" they heard a small voice exclaim.

"That!" the March Hare cried.

"It appears to be coming from below," Alice said thoughtfully. Upon looking down at the ground, she realized the three were standing in a large flowerbed. Flowers of different shapes and colors surrounded them, talking softly amongst themselves. It was no doubt the three were standing in a hard bed, causing the flowers to remain awake. Gently, Alice went down to the ground, hoping not to step on any of the poor flowers. "Why, which one of you said that?" Alice inquired as she gazed upon the flowers, attempting to pick out the culprit. It was rather curious: she saw flowers that she knew could not possibly live in such terrain as this. Why, there were violets and roses living together even though a rose would require a bush to grow.

"Boo!" the voice exclaimed again. Hatter now knelt down carefully, scrutinizing all the flowers. "Boo!" another exclamation came.

"It was this one right here!" the March Hare stated, pointing towards a white flower. The small white creature had four equally sized petals surrounding the upper portion of it while a large, lower petal created two tendrils which twisted downward, resembling the shape of a heart. The flower merely gazed up at the group, acknowledging that it was the one who had called for their attention.

"Boo!" it called again.

"Why do you keep saying that?" Hatter inquired.

"Because," the flower replied, its voice sweet, resembling the chime of bells, "I'm a ghost!"

"You're not a ghost," Alice laughed. "You're a flower."

"Oh, but I am a ghost," the flower insisted innocently. "And I must haunt you."

"I say, don't try to be something you simply are not," Hatter replied, attempting to reason with the delicate flower.

"I am merely trying to be what I am," the flower answered. "Boo!"

"I think perhaps we should leave the poor flower be," Alice offered. The flower's beauty was mesmerizing to her and had it not been speaking as though it were a person, Alice would have liked nothing more than to pick the gentle flower from the ground and place it in her hair or some other place where she might be able to admire it.

"You will permanently scar this flower if you just leave it," Hatter replied, acting as though he knew what he was talking about. After all, it was highly unlikely you could inflict a psychological wound upon a flower that hardly anyone spoke to.

"But she isn't hurting anyone," Alice countered, trying to be as calm as possible though she was becoming quite irritated.

"She is as harmless as a flower," the March Hare offered though his instincts instructed him to stay out of the conversation as he could feel the tension rising between the group. He only felt sorry for the little flower who was probably very confused by what was occurring around her. Though luckily the flower showed no sign of discomfort for its petals did not wilt in the slightest nor did it appear to look down upon the ground.

"She is hurting the flowers around her that care about her," Hatter replied, his voice reaching a small crescendo.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Alice retorted, angry now as she rose from her current position. Hatter rose up to meet her, nearly towering over Alice, a frown spread across his face.

"Boo!" the flower suddenly exclaimed again just as Hatter was about to say something. The innocent plant caused Hatter to gaze down upon it, his eyebrow raised as though he clearly was not expecting such an outburst. "See, I am a ghost. I scared you so!" the flower laughed lightly. Hatter glanced towards Alice before staring down at the flower once more, sighing.

"You're right," he replied as though his anger had completely vanished. "you are a ghost."

"And you are a monster," the flower replied, her tone no different than before, as though she were merely stating facts. Alice laughed at the flower's comment, her own anger now subsiding while Hatter stood still, clearly offended by the ghost's comment. The March Hare managed to laugh as well and even the Dormouse produced a bit of a chuckle through his sleep.

"He's not a monster, he's Hatter," Alice teased.

"Boo!" the flower exclaimed again as though it did not know what else to say.

"Well, I think it's best if we go on our way now," the March Hare stated now that the tension was gone. Not to mention, being surrounded by all these beautiful, delicious flowers was beginning to take its toll on the March Hare. He knew very well he could not eat a new acquaintance and even if he could there was no possible way for Alice and Hatter to understand his actions, being an entirely different species from himself. The March Hare wondered how Milo was able to merely look upon these flowers with indifference and was half expecting him to jump out of Alice's arms and gobble the flowers up one by one.

"Yes, goodbye little ghost," Alice said down to the flower for there would be no point in asking a flower for directions since they could not see very far and most likely never managed to travel except when they were very young, too young to remember such things.

"Farewell," Hatter added though he would prefer to put some reason into the flower and make sure she did not really think Hatter was a monster.

"Take good care of yourself," the March Hare continued, nearly pressing for Alice and Hatter to get a move on.

"Goodbye," the flower replied, soaking in the showering of attention she was now receiving. How jealous the surrounding flowers must be! They must be wishing they were currently ghosts instead of flowers right about now.

Carefully, Alice, Hatter, and the March Hare slowly departed the ghost flower and left the flowers to talk amongst themselves about the unusual events that had just occurred.

After walking aimlessly for what appeared to be eternity, the group was forced to stop for their afternoon tea. The tea party was not as sweet as it usually was for annoyance, anger, and other potential negative feelings still lingered amongst the group even though they did manage to avoid conflicts with one another. It was during the tea party that the Dormouse suggested everyone required a good amount of sleep before the journey continued since their impatience was clearly due to their lack of sleep. Of course, the Dormouse pointed out he did not have such problems because he had gotten a nice, long, peaceful sleep the night before. Everyone consented to the Dormouse's suggestion and after noontime tea was finished, the group managed to find a soft bed of earth where lilacs were sleeping in utter tranquility. After finding a small area of segregation from one another, everyone gradually began to drift to sleep. The Dormouse was out cold within seconds. Milo merely stared forward as always though never made the notion to say anything leading the March Hare and Hatter to believe that perhaps Milo was able to sleep with his eyes open. The March Hare only lasted a few minutes after Milo had fallen asleep before his eyes were closed and his breathing became steady, leaving only Hatter and Alice to lie awake. Alice found it rather peculiar that the two who had the least amount of sleep the night before were the last to fall under the spell of the soft bed of dirt. However, almost instantly after this thought passed through her mind, Hatter lay still so that only Alice remained conscious.

Alice's eyes lazily glanced over her sleeping friends. Her quick glances fixated on the March Hare as his nose twitched and his right foot kicked occasionally. She wondered what the March Hare might be dreaming about or if it was possible the March Hare was having a nightmare. Whatever it was, Alice was too tired to attempt and imagine the events playing through the March Hare's mind. Without realizing it, Alice was focusing on Hatter. As she watched his steady breathing, Alice could not help but to ponder Hatter's angry retort in the presence of the ghost flower. She had no doubt Hatter had been referring mostly to her rather than the flower when he made such a remark. Yet, what could she possibly do? It was not like she had many other options: leave Wonderland now or later. That was it. One or the other. Either way, there was no winning solution. Couldn't Hatter understand that? At the same time, Alice marveled at how peaceful Hatter looked. The innocent expression upon his face caused Alice to feel guilty for being angry with him. She did not want to be angry with her friends before she left. That simply would not do. She would have to apologize to him once they awoke.

Alice closed her eyes, no longer wishing to contemplate the matter. After all, perhaps Hatter was merely cranky and would feel better after their nap and once she apologized all would be well again. With that, Alice permitted the soft, silver snores of the lilacs to draw her into a slumber as tranquil as their own.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Alice opened her eyes to find everyone still snoozing. She forced herself to sit up, stretching her arms as she yawned. Feeling much better, Alice gazed up at the sun in hopes of being able to calculate the approximate time of day. She supposed they had been sleeping for about an hour or so.

"Hatter," Alice called, who was the closest companion near her, hoping this would be enough to wake him. However, he merely continued to sleep. "Hare?" Alice continued, staring towards the sleeping March Hare. The March Hare's ears twitched slightly at her comment but he refused to process the information in his lucid state and instead proceeded to continue sleeping. Alice sluggishly moved towards Hatter, not even bothering to wake up the Dormouse or Milo. "Hatter," she called again, shaking him a bit. Hatter groaned in response though, despite this, opened his eyes.

"Yes?" he inquired, still laying down, staring up at her. Just as Alice was prepared to apologize to Hatter as planned, a strange sensation came over her as she stared back at him. A flush of energy passed over her body yet Alice could not identify why she was feeling this way.

"We've been asleep for quite a while now," Alice replied, at a loss for words, the peculiar sensation catching her off guard.

"And I was having such a nice sleep," Hatter said, sighing. It was then that it occurred to Hatter that he was alone with Alice. At least, he was alone as he would ever be for the rest of the day. As he looked towards her, Hatter was beginning to consider the March Hare's advice from the night before. He should tell her, tell her now while he still had the chance. Yet, he did not possess the nerve to tell her such things.

"Hatter, I wanted to apologize for our argument from before. It really wasn't very proper," Alice remarked, pushing the strange feelings away for the moment so that she may stay focused with what she set out to do before falling asleep. "And I really don't want us to be angry with another before I leave." An enormous weight lifted from Alice upon her remark. However, Hatter's silence only caused Alice to feel uneasy. Perhaps it was a silly thing to be saying now that they had had their rest.

"You're right," Hatter replied, disappointed with himself that he was unable to say anything to her. "We shouldn't be angry with one another. And I am also sorry."

"Well, it's about time you two apologized," the March Hare remarked. Alice and Hatter turned to see the March Hare was now standing up, preparing to leave.

"How long have you been awake?" Hatter inquired, his heart thumping. He was glad he decided not to confess to Alice if it meant the March Hare might have been listening.

"Long enough," the March Hare replied, a hint of mischief in his tone of voice. In actuality, he had been awake for some time, shortly after Alice had called to him. However, the March Hare remained as still as possible in hopes of giving Hatter the chance he needed to talk with Alice privately. Clearly though, Hatter was getting nowhere and this once again disappointed the March Hare very much.

"Well, now that you are awake, we can leave and hopefully find someone who can give us directions," Alice offered. Normally, she would have pointed out that it was very rude to eavesdrop on conversations but Alice did not want to get in an argument with the March Hare after she had just finished making amends with Hatter. She then rose from her position, walking over to Milo to pick him up. Hatter did the same, lifting the Dormouse before he was leading everyone away from the soft flower bed and on the prowl for someone who knew where the rabbit hole was.

* * *

_Alice's dress is supposed to reference to the Tim Burton movie as well as the large mushrooms and animal hedges. _

_The flower who believes she is a ghost is a Ghost Orchid. They grow in swamps and such....apparently. _

_The idea of flower beds being soft so that flowers may sleep and hard so that flowers may talk is somewhere in Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass. Where exactly it is, I haven't got a clue. _

_The idea of Hatter and the March Hare not being able to read maps comes from Eureka 7 where a character also has serious trouble reading maps._

_Humpty Dumpty appears in Through the Looking Glass and he does state he doesn't understand how he can tell the difference between Alice's face and any other human's face. They all look the same according to him. Some believe this means Humpty Dumpty has Prosopagnosia (face blindness) which is a disorder where a person has difficulty recognizing faces. _


	13. Bad Hatter

_Finally! Sorry this chapter took way longer than I expected. But, to be honest, I took a nap one evening and just had to scribble down the ending to this story. So yeah...that took a while. Anyway, in other news, there is a new trailer for the Tim Burton version. And it is totally awesome. Everyone should watch it. Seriously, check it out. And, on the official website it says under Hatter's profile that Hatter comes to mean everything to Alice. Yeah people. Alice x Hatter is officially cannon for the Tim Burton movie. Script rumors are true. All I have to say is they BETTER get together in the end. I have a feeling they will in some way otherwise why would Disney even put that in Hatter's profile? Seriously. And OMG Nightmare Before Christmas is coming on Disney Channel tomorrow. Yeah, Im watching the Disney Channel now for some reason. But good thing I did because I would have missed Nightmare. _

_Okay, enough dilly dallying. Here is the next chapter, facts at the end as always. I would also like to say THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS! Seriously, I wasn't expecting it. Really, I wasn't. So thank you all. And keep them coming. I have a feeling I'll get quite a few for this chapter....Facts at the end as always....and enjoy!  
_

_  
_**

* * *

**

**Bad Hatter**

"I believe I hear crying," Alice suddenly remarked as a low, muffled noise filled her ear. One of the March Hare's ears perked up slightly, hoping to catch the sound.

"It's coming from over there," the March Hare said as his finger directed the group towards the sound. Alice took the lead and began to walk towards where the March Hare had pointed. After walking for such a long time without finding a single person to guide them to the rabbit hole, Alice would be glad to run into anyone even if they were crying.

Alice pushed a bush aside to unveil a bumblebee crying under a tree. She gasped a little at the sight of it: the furry creature using one of its legs to wipe the tears away from its eyes as its antennae twitched about. The Bumblebee began to sob heavily.

"Oh you poor thing," Alice said as she walked towards the Bumblebee. However, she kept a distance away from him in case he should sting her. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm....crying....be-because..." the Bumblebee attempted to state in between his gasping for breath. "No-no one....wants to-to play with me."

"And why does no one want to play with you?" Alice asked, feeling rather sorry for the Bumblebee. She could tell from his high pitched voice that he was a rather young bumblebee, merely a child in bumblebee years.

"Be-because they think I'll-I'll sting them," the Bumblebee answered pitifully. Now feeling guilty for having kept her distance, Alice sat beside the Bumblebee on the grass with Milo lying in her lap. "But I-I won't sting them! I won't!"

"If they won't let you play because they believe you will sting them," Hatter began as he sat down on the other side of the Bumblebee, placing the snoozing Dormouse next to him, "then they aren't really your friends."

"B-but they are my friends," the Bumblebee cried pitifully.

"Not really. True friends would accept you for who you are," Hatter explained.

"Th-then I've got no friends!" the Bumblebee returned, sobbing harder than ever.

"Oh Hatter, you've made it worse," Alice stated, patting the poor Bumblebee on the back. Yet, at the same time, she could not help but to feel some sort of connection to Hatter's words. It was as though Hatter was speaking to her rather than the Bumblebee as she recalled the friends she had in her own world who no longer wanted to be associated with her due to the stories of Wonderland she told.

"But I was just telling him the truth!" Hatter exclaimed, taken aback by her reprimanding.

"Now see here, crying will get you no where," the March Hare stated as gently as possible. "Why don't you explain to your friends you have no intention of hurting them?"

"B-but I've already tr-tr-tried," the Bumblebee answered. "And they still won't let me play!"

"Well, I'm completely stumped then," the March Hare replied, sitting across from the Bumblebee.

"I'm telling you, this Bumblebee is with the wrong crowd," Hatter interjected. "Now listen to me." Alice was immediately prepared to stop Hatter from talking until she realized the area was unusually quiet. Strangely, the Bumblebee ceased his crying for the time being. "I had a cousin once," Hatter continued, seeing that he had received permission to continue. "twice removed."

"Twice removed?" Alice inquired.

"Yes. It took us two times to remove him from the family," Hatter explained. Naturally, Alice became quite puzzled by Hatter's explanation and chose to remain silent.

"At least it only took you two times: I had a cousin that required us to remove her _six_ times," the March Hare added. "She wasn't very bright." This comment confused Alice even more than before. She would simply have to ask Lorina about the matter when she returned home for as far as she knew, there was no way to permanently remove someone from the family.

"My cousin," Hatter began again, "was not a very good fellow. He was a hatter but he was a _bad _hatter. Never once was he able to come up with an original idea so instead he ran about copying everyone else's hat designs."

"Everyone else?" Alice interjected once more. As far as she knew, Hatter was the only hatter around.

"There's more than one hatter in Wonderland," the March Hare answered as though this was a silly question.

"There used to be anyway," Hatter returned. "When my father was a hatter along with my mother, uncle, aunt, and cousin. But that's not the point really. Anyway, so my cousin was a hatter and he would steal ideas from everyone else."

"Did he ever steal from you?" Alice pressed.

"Occasionally though by that time he had already been removed from the family once. Anyway, the point of the story is: he was simply a bad hatter. It is those types of people you need to stay away from."

"But my friends aren't bad hatters," the Bumblebee said, feeling rather confused by Hatter's story about his cousin who was a bad hatter.

"I think what he's trying to say," Alice offered, "is that there are some people that will be cruel to you no matter how well you know them and if that's the case then you shouldn't be friends with them."

"Exactly!" Hatter exclaimed rather suddenly. "Although my cousin was my cousin, he did not act like a cousin should and therefore he is _not _my cousin. Why, the March Hare is more of a cousin than he ever was."

"And I take that compliment wholeheartedly," the March Hare replied. Alice was about to wonder aloud whether she was considered a cousin or not by Hatter but then decided against it. After all, it was very rude to place Hatter in such a position. However, strangely enough, Alice was not even bothered by the fact Hatter neglected to include her, to think of her as a cousin rather than a friend. Why was she not bothered by it? She never really saw them being related to one another as brother and sister or even as cousins. That seemed like an unusual concept to Alice. They were just very good friends. No, _best_ friends. Hatter was more of a friend than anyone she had spent time with in her own world. He was simply always there.

At that moment, a foreign feeling crept over Alice. However, she quickly discovered the sensation passing over her was not foreign at all for she had felt the same way after Hatter had woken up from their afternoon nap. Energy was once again passing through her rapidly, causing her face to feel a bit red. She only hoped no one noticed such a thing. Alice glanced towards Hatter and the March Hare who were encouraging the Bumblebee to wipe his tears and seek out new, faithful friends. The Bumblebee was clearly pleased by this. Luckily, they had yet to notice Alice's unusually red complexion.

"I wonder why I'm getting this way?" Alice thought as she attempted to relax and make the heat die down. It was curious; lately she only appeared to be feeling this way when she thought of Hatter.

"Will you all be my friends?" the Bumblebee inquired.

"Certainly," the March Hare answered. "You can come to our tea parties anytime you wish." There was plenty of room after all: a whole table full.

"You wouldn't by any chance happen to have honey at these tea parties would you?" the Bumblebee asked. There simply was not an enjoyable tea party without a nice bit of honey in the Bumblebee's eyes.

"We have treacle," the Dormouse responded sleepily.

"And jam," Hatter added.

"And butter," the March Hare offered. "But we could get honey if you like." The March Hare then began to wonder what sort of new concoctions they could come up with now that honey was going to be added to the list of treats. He wondered what tea would taste like if there was honey in it.

"But you must also find friends your own age," Hatter continued, being rather stern about this point. Even though someone as young as Alice became good friends with him, the March Hare, and the Dormouse, she still had friends her own age when she was younger. The same must happen for the Bumblebee for everyone requires friends that are age appropriate.

"Yes, we don't play," the Dormouse stated before drifting off to sleep again.

"_You_ don't anyway," the March Hare countered.

"I will find friends who won't think I'll sting them," the Bumblebee offered proudly.

"And that is a very good thing," Hatter replied. He then looked over to Alice who had not said much in a while. Before Hatter had time to notice that her face possessed a tint of pink, Hatter's eyes shifted back towards the Bumblebee. "I say, you wouldn't by any chance happen to know where the rabbit hole is, would you?" The Bumblebee became rather excited by this question for some reason to the point where he produced a low buzzing sound and his antennae twitched wildly.

"The rabbit hole? Why, other insects play near there all the time! Some dare one another to jump towards it and see what happens. But no one ever goes through with it," the Bumblebee said briskly.

"Where is the rabbit hole?" the March Hare asked excitedly.

"Just keep heading in that direction," the Bumblebee informed, pointing with one of his small legs. "The river is just a short walk away."

"River?" Hatter asked.

"Yes, you have to cross the river to get to the rabbit hole," the Bumblebee answered. "Of course, we merely fly over it."

"We'll figure something out when we get there," the March Hare reasoned, seeing that Hatter was already beginning to contemplate the matter. Hatter merely consented as he turned towards Alice again.

"Alice," Hatter said as he stepped closer to her. "Are you all right?" Seeing the tint of pink in her face, Hatter placed a hand on her forehead thinking perhaps she may have a fever of some sort. But this only caused Alice to turn even redder than before as she felt Hatter's warm skin pressing through his white glove. "Well, you don't have a fever," Hatter was saying.

"I'm fine, Hatter. It's just a bit hot outside, that is all," Alice replied though she knew her feelings had nothing to do with the weather. Besides, it was not even hot outside. Never the less, Hatter removed his hand from her forehead.

"In that case," Hatter remarked, as though staring at her for too long tormented him, "we should be moving on." Alice merely nodded in consent, her face beginning to cool down. With that, Alice, Hatter, and the March Hare said farewell to the Bumblebee before they traveled towards the river that would lead them to the rabbit hole.

Alice did not know why but she felt as though the three of them were growing smaller and smaller as they came closer to the river. The grass was gradually beginning to look taller with each passing step. However, as queer as this was, Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse (then again, the Dormouse was not likely to notice much) did not seem to notice this change or if they did they did not mention it. By the time the group reached the river, Alice guessed the river would have been nothing more than a small stream they would have had to cross if they had been their normal heights. But the stream was much larger now, appearing impossible to swim across. What was even stranger was a group of creatures were running in a large circle.

"What are they doing?" the March Hare questioned as he watched them.

"We're having a Caucus-Race!" a dodo replied as he ran passed them, continuing on his path within the circle.

"To get dry," an eaglet added as she ran behind the Dodo.

"Won't you join us?" a lory asked.

"You really must," a mouse added.

"No thank you: we are quite dry," Alice replied though who she was replying to she wasn't sure: they were all running past them and Alice did not know if any of them even heard her.

"Do you have any idea how we may be able to cross the river?" Hatter inquired though like Alice, he was not sure who was speaking to as creatures ran past him.

"Perhaps you should try swimming," a duck interjected.

"We'd prefer not to swim," the March Hare responded. Not only would it be difficult, the March Hare really did not want to have to dry his fur afterwords. He simply was not fond of wet fur.

"There must be some other way," Alice stated as she looked around for an alternative. She noticed a Gryphon flying above them but she knew it was flying much too high for it to possibly hear them. Alice thought about making a raft out of the blades of grass but realized that this would take much too long. There were some leaves here and there but the leaves looked too light to carry all of them across the river. Alice sighed: there just was nothing to create a method of transport in a reasonable amount of time.

Alice's eyes then fell upon a small boat that seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Hatter noticed it too and immediately trotted towards it, dodging the creatures that were still running their Caucus-Race and nearly running into the Dodo. Once Hatter managed to reach the boat he inspected it briefly, having put the Dormouse down momentarily, before calling the others over. Alice and the March Hare followed, also being forced to avoid the race occurring. The March Hare was faster than the other creatures and easily avoided them. However, Alice was not so agile and forced the Lory to run around her. Unfortunately, Alice did not have time to apologize for the Lory was too far from her by the time she could react to the situation.

"We can use this," Hatter remarked when both were able to reach him. He gently lifted the Dormouse and placed him inside the boat. Hatter then assisted Alice into the boat before handing one of the oars to the March Hare. Hatter struggled to push the boat into the water (he did not think that perhaps he should have pushed it a bit more before letting everyone get in). After some difficulty, Hatter hopped into the boat and began to paddle along with the March Hare: their strokes synchronized.

While the boat moved along the river towards where the rabbit hole was hopefully located, the March Hare made it his mission to splash the Dormouse with a bit of water from his oar. The Dormouse awoke rather suddenly, shaking the water off his fur.

"For the last time, I don't want any tea!" the Dormouse exclaimed, forgetting where he was for a moment.

"That wasn't tea," the March Hare explained. The Dormouse licked a bit of the liquid that was still embedded onto his fur.

"It's rather salty," the Dormouse remarked. "Definitely not tea."

"That's because this river is made of tears," Alice explained.

"Tears?" the March Hare inquired. "How do you know?"

"Well, because I think I made this river. If it's the same river that is," Alice replied, recalling the incident where she cried so much that by the time she had shrunk in size, she had created a river. It was strange because she had not thought of such things for a very long time. Only now were the memories resurfacing. Hatter looked sadly upon the river of tears as he continued to row through. To think someone who had been able to influence Wonderland so much was now about to leave permanently.

The boat was merrily making its way towards a small door (though compared to the current size of everyone, the door was rather large). They passed through the doorway, saying goodbye to the sunlight, and into a large room. The boat gradually came to a stop as it came into contact with a hard white and black tiled floor. Hatter helped Alice out of the boat as she stared up at a glass table. The March Hare gazed around, not entirely satisfied.

"I wish we were a little taller," the March Hare complained. The room was awfully large and the table was ridiculously high. How could they possibly search this foreign place if they were at such a wretched height?

"It's not so bad," the Dormouse replied. Now he was finally able to understand what his relatives went through each and every day as they went about their daily business being the size of common mice.

"Still, it would be helpful to be taller," Alice remarked, agreeing with the March Hare. Just then, a small silver box appeared near the boat. Curiously, Hatter walked towards it and opened the box in order to discover its contents. There, the party was able to find a cake lying peacefully within the box with the words "EAT ME" written across the top of it.

"Should we eat it?" Hatter questioned, suspicious. After all, how many times did one find a mysterious box containing a cake that insisted on being eaten? That did not make much sense if one thought about it. Unless of course the cake was a suicide cake: then that was perfectly understandable. However, this clearly was not a suicide cake, just a regular cake.

"It insists that we do eat it," the March Hare argued. But Hatter was not convinced by the March Hare's remark. Instead, he turned to Alice since she had supposedly been to this part of Wonderland before. Therefore, it was only logical that she would know what the best thing to do was.

"We should eat it," Alice said, responding to Hatter's look. Hatter merely nodded and took a small piece of the cake for having Alice try it first was simply out of the question. After a small bite, Hatter felt himself growing. Alice, the March Hare, and the Dormouse stepped away from Hatter as he continued to grow with the March Hare grabbing the cake since Alice's hands were already full with Milo. As he finished the piece of cake he had taken, Hatter found himself to be normal height again. Satisfied, he gazed down at the small March Hare, Alice, and Dormouse who looked up at him.

"Oh my, you are all so small!" Hatter exclaimed, being careful not to move his feet too much and possibly hurt his friends. He was especially fond of seeing Alice at such a height: how she looked as though she were a tiny doll that he could carry around in his breast pocket. If he was not risking the potential of offending Alice, Hatter would have liked nothing more than to hold Alice in his hand and watch her walk about. The March Hare took a piece of the cake and handed it to the Dormouse. As the Dormouse nibbled, The March Hare gave two pieces to Alice: one for her and one for Milo before taking a piece himself. Gradually, the remaining members of the group were growing. Alice did not know how Milo was able to grow since he technically could not eat anything but either way he grew as Alice grew.

Once everyone had retained their height, it was now Alice's turn to lead the group as they walked through a long hallway. There were many doors along this particular hallway and Hatter and the March Hare impulsively attempted to open a few of them. But Alice knew all the doors were locked as memories of her very first journey were continuing to come back to her. After Hatter and the March Hare found this to be true, they stopped trying to open the doors altogether, merely following Alice as she led them to the rabbit hole.

"It's not much farther," Alice said quietly. Hatter's heart sank at this information. He only had a little bit of time left to be with Alice. Just a miniscule amount of time left. The March Hare and the Dormouse were silent as they heard Alice speak of this as they too were upset. No one dared to utter another word as they came to the end of the hall where the rabbit hole was waiting for Alice.

Alice gazed up at the rabbit hole. It looked like a dark abyss that would never come into contact with light ever again. She could feel a soft wind that traveled gracefully up the rabbit hole. Alice had no doubt that this breeze would be the force to carry her out of Wonderland for good.

She stared back at Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse, uncertainty present in her face. Was this truly the right decision? Should she leave her friends behind like this? But then Alice remembered that she would have to leave no matter what happened at one point and she would rather not disappear on her friends.

Before Alice could think about it any longer, she bent down to the Dormouse, grasping onto his fur with Milo in between them.

"Goodbye," Alice said softly as though she could not believe she was uttering such words.

"Goodbye Alice," the Dormouse answered sleepily. "Don't forget to write."

"I certainly will try," Alice replied. She could see if she may be able to pass letters through the looking glass. Though, deep down, Alice knew trying such a thing would only end up in vain. If she could pass a letter through the looking glass, she could pass through it herself. But this was not to be. It was most likely the looking glasses would be closed once she returned home. Not to mention, Alice was not even sure if the Dormouse was fully awake. Perhaps he thought her leaving was nothing more than a dream, a dream that would be undone in short time.

Alice moved on to say goodbye to the March Hare.

"Goodbye Alice: it was fun while it lasted," the March Hare said though he felt rather uncomfortable having Milo between him and Alice. He found this to be quite strange and wondered why Alice did not find this strange either.

"Goodbye," Alice replied and at this point she struggled desperately to keep herself from crying. She forced herself to think that if they had been saying goodbye in March she would not be this upset.

"And goodbye Milo," the March Hare added. There was a moment of silence as Milo said his goodbye to the March Hare. "Yes, I will miss you too," the March Hare added after Milo had apparently spoken.

Alice then turned to Hatter. Without hesitation, Alice wrapped her arms around Hatter's waist. Head resting against his chest, Alice felt Hatter holding onto her tightly as though he never wanted to let go.

"Goodbye Hatter," Alice murmured.

"Alice," Hatter whispered, "please don't leave." She simply could not leave him, she could never leave him. Alice did not know what to say to this; only her eyes were starting to tear. If only he understood she didn't want to leave, she would do anything to keep herself in Wonderland. Yet, even though she knew she would be upset from the beginning, still, her heart was aching like never before. But Alice did not know why this was so. Alice looked up at Hatter whose eyes were pleading with her.

"I'm sorry Hatter," Alice replied softly, hoping that only he could hear her. Her eyes focused downwards, resting on Milo who was still tucked in between her arms. Gazing up at Hatter once more, Alice handed Milo to Hatter. "Here," she said as he gingerly held Milo. "Something to remember me by...And, besides...I think he will be much better off if he remained here." The look in Hatter's eyes was not satisfied in the slightest. He continued to stare at her as though he were gazing in a never ending void, as though there was something just beyond the horizon of her eyes that he could not possibly reach but yearned to. Hatter was completely transfixed deep within Alice's pure blue eyes he did not even realize she was slowly backing away towards the rabbit hole.

"Goodbye," Alice said once more before she turned away from them, plunging herself into the rabbit hole. She was only there for a split second before a sudden gust of wind swished her up the vast portal. Had she turned around, she would have seen Hatter with his arm stretched out, in his final attempt to stop her from leaving.

* * *

_All I can say is, please don't kill me. Okay, if you want to kill me, wait until the end of the story. And then kill me. _

_The Bumblebee comes from the fact that in Through the Looking Glass Lewis Carroll wanted to add a segment where Alice speaks with an old Wasp. However, this was taken out as Tenniel suggested. So, to counter that, I added a young Bumblebee. I'll pick a Bumblebee to talk to over a Wasp any day personally. _

_The idea of Hatter having a cousin who was kicked out of the family twice comes from the Disney show Adventures From Wonderland. While the show is nothing like I remember it to be, I found the idea of "twice removed" indicating a person was kicked out of the family twice to be rather funny. So I added that in. _

_The Caucus-Race occurs in Alice in Wonderland....yeah.....not much to say there. _

_The boat is meant to reference the Goat in a boat in Through the Looking Glass. Yeah...I didn't include the Goat because it didn't really make sense for the Goat to be there. So I just put the boat in there =D. _

_The Gryphon appears in Alice in Wonderland. (spell checker is being a jerk today on firefox so that may be spelled wrong _) as well as in the American McGee version. _

_Hatter being taller than Alice and looking down upon her is in the book and is shown VERY nicely in the new trailer for Alice. At least, in my opinion. _

_There is such a thing called a suicide cake. I've had it a few times and it is very good. So it made sense to include it. _

_Once again, don't kill me. *hides*  
_


	14. Falling Up the Rabbit Hole

_Okay, first off I would like to thank you all for your reviews. And I am terribly sorry that my plan didn't work out the way I hoped. You see, this chapter is sort of like a part two to the last chapter. I was originally going to post this chapter immediately after I knew people were reading the last chapter because if I kept the title of the chapter (which has been planned from the beginning of the story) it would have spoiled the story too much. But, as I mentioned in some of my responses to your reviews, I didn't get a notification that you guys were reviewing! Here I am, thinking "people must be busy or they really didn't like the chapter" and it turns out you were all reviewing XD. So yeah, this chapter is out a little bit later than I planned but here it is never the less. But, either way, enjoy it! Enjoy this chapter (or semi chapter since it isnt very long) for all that it is!  
_**

* * *

Falling Up the Rabbit Hole**

If it wasn't already peculiar falling down an overly large rabbit hole, it was certainly much stranger to fall _up _it for it felt as though Alice were descending; her hair remaining at her sides, dancing a bit in the wind. Yet at the same time, she could clearly see she was _ascending _as teacups, plates, cabinets, and other things were slowly traveling down or floating in midair. It was as though she were playing her falling down the rabbit hole at the age of seven in reverse.

Alice sniffled as she ascended the rabbit hole. Tears were resting just under the brim of her eyes. She tried to brush them away but only more tears came. Oh, what had she done? How could she leave? What a foolish, foolish thing she did.

"Come now, there's no use crying Alice," she told herself. But the tears would not stop flowing regardless.

After wiping her eyes yet again, Alice pitifully gazed around the rabbit hole. Alice began to wonder how long she had traveled up the rabbit hole by this time. She guessed that she must have been falling for nearly five minutes and yet the entrance to the rabbit hole was nowhere to be found. It was this type of thinking that caused Alice to feel very anxious as she continued to stare around the dark abyss. To her surprise, there was something just below. It did not take her long before she was able to see that it was none other than Milo falling past her.

"Milo? What are you doing here?" Alice questioned as he was escaping her, bumping into a teacup along the way. She watched him in utter fascination as he floated along his merry way.

"Alice!" someone called from below. Alice's heart fluttered at the sound of it. She knew that voice! Desperately gazing down, she could see Hatter was falling up towards her, grasping onto his top hat for dear life. His legs dangled about, clearly not used to falling in such a way.

"Hatter!" Alice called back when he just a few yards below her, her excitement growing as he came closer to her.

"Alice," Hatter repeated as he was coming closer to her, his eyes shining upon the sight of her as though he still could not believe she was just above him. Alice smiled as she looked down at him.

"Hatter, what are you doing here?" she could not help but to blurt out. "You'll never be able to go back home to Wonderland now!" This realization alarmed her, worried her, and, strangely, angered her. What _had _he been thinking? Now he was forced to live away from the March Hare, from the Dormouse. His hat shop would be left abandoned with all his odd contraptions to create the wonderful hats that decorated the citizens of Wonderland's heads. His large table and assortment of tea necessities would be gone. "You...you idiot!" Alice added as she thought all these things through, something she was sure Hatter did not contemplate. Hatter was taken aback by Alice's sudden exclamation, expecting Alice to be glad he had come with her.

"I-I don't know what I was thinking!" Hatter exclaimed, rushing to explain his actions. "One moment I'm watching you leave and the next thing I know I jumped after you! I didn't think about anything! Oh Alice, please forgive me! I'm mad, completely and utterly mad!"

Alice's anger quickly subsided upon seeing Hatter throwing his arms wildly into the air during his explanation. She giggled with delight at the sight of him. His hat floated above them before Hatter snatched it back, holding it once again on his head. Alice felt the tears coming back to her as Hatter was now directly in front of her. She threw her arms around him, holding him close.

"Oh Hatter, I'm so glad you're here. Really I am," Alice said, her grip tightening. A rush of happiness passed through her that she did not even think to apologize for her outburst: that simply did not matter anymore. What mattered was Hatter was here, here to stay with her.

Hatter, too, forgot Alice's outburst as soon as she pressed her body close to him. He in turn held her, his hat falling ahead of them.

"Alice," Hatter began, his voice soft.

"But...I'm only sorry that you have to leave Wonderland too," Alice remarked, not hearing Hatter's comment.

"Alice..." Hatter attempted to begin again, slightly louder than before.

"And the poor March Hare," Alice continued, once again not hearing him.

"Alice!" Hatter exclaimed. He _was _trying to tell her something very important after all!

"Yes?" Alice inquired, gazing up at him.

"Alice, what I'm leaving behind in Wonderland are just things. And while I will miss Hare and Dormy..." Hatter remarked, pausing as he realized that he _would_ miss his friends very much. He really hadn't thought about that when jumping up the rabbit hole. But then he took one of Alice's hands and held onto it tightly, his fingers tracing her small, delicate hand as everything felt right again. "I'd rather be with you."

"Really?" was all Alice managed to say. Her heart was now racing and she felt as though she was floating rather than falling. She could feel that abnormal sensation passing through her again. And suddenly she came to a realization as to what that sensation was: love. She loved Hatter and he had chosen her over anything else. Now his own unusual and recent behavior made all the sense in the world: she had not been imagining it after all.

"You _are _my Wonderland," Hatter continued, allowing his nose to touch the tip of her own, "...and I love you: very much." Upon hearing those words being uttered, Alice felt her face turn red. She could feel his sweet, warm breath, becoming entranced by it: by him.

"Hatter," Alice replied softly. But that was all she managed to say before Hatter gently brushed his soft lips against her own. It felt as though her heart had completely melted upon contact. It was truly the most wonderful feeling in the world. Alice's mind turned completely lucid: the only thought running through her mind was how much she loved Hatter despite his complete and utter madness as the two became engulfed in a warm light.

* * *

_If you wish to see how this originally came to be, I have been doing concept art for this story since forever. I just couldn't show it sooner because the very first picture I did (and the ultimate inspiration for this story) completely spoils the ending. I put spaces in between the link so hopefully will let this work. _http: // .com/ gallery /#Alice-in-Wonderland . _Anyway, thanks again everyone. I still have an epilogue to do so stay tuned for that =D. _


	15. After Wonderland

_Hello everyone and thank you so much for all the reviews on the last chapter! Okay, so here is the epilogue! Enjoy!!!!! I am so glad how much you all liked this story and thank you all for the wonderful support. I don't know what I'll be writing next but I do know this gives me time to read other people's Alice fanfictions. There are a few that I have been meaning to read....anyway, enjoy again =D.  
_**

* * *

After Wonderland**

Alice slowly opened her eyes. Dinah was sleeping next to her, curled in a ball. She sat up in bed, searching for any sign of Hatter. But, to her dismay, he was nowhere to be found.

"Have I been dreaming?" Alice wondered. Her fingers lightly traced over the tip of her lips, recalling the way Hatter's touch felt. "But...it felt so real." Alice then gazed around her room. An overwhelming sadness began to settle in as she gazed upon the furniture, her old toys, and other such things that cluttered her room. "There is no way I could have been dreaming this entire time." And then, a strange thought occurred to her. Did it mean by growing up one realized that Wonderland really was nothing but a fairy tale? After all, she had come out of the looking glass before once her adventures were over. Never had she woken up from her bed: she only awoke from a dreamlike state the first time she had visited Wonderland. Is this why she could never return: because there was nothing to return to? If there were a Wonderland, logically, Hatter would be in the room with her. But he wasn't.

Alice's mind was becoming a mess and this discouraged her greatly. She simply could not comprehend the idea of Hatter being but a figment of her imagination. Yet, the more she thought of it, the more it appeared to make sense to her.

"If I did not have many friends growing up because they didn't believe me about Wonderland then I could have easily made up my own friends," Alice thought to herself. Oh, but she did not want to believe such things yet she could not help but to consider it!

Alice ultimately decided that the best thing to do would be to get dressed before continuing a course of action. After some searching, Alice settled on a yellow dress with lavender ribbons before departing her room. Yet, even as Alice's hand lightly traced the railing of the staircase, Alice felt empty inside. It was as though a part of her had died along with Hatter's disappearance and the confusion within her only made things worse.

Alice turned towards the front door as someone was knocking while she was beginning to descend the stairs. She watched with curiosity as Lorina went to answer the door.

"Hello," Lorina remarked as she opened the door just a crack in order to keep the winter air out of the house. "May I help you?" she inquired, indicating to Alice that she did not know the guest. Alice then looked towards one of the windows: the sky was still gray and a blanket of snow covered the ground. She had almost forgotten it was still winter and not spring like in Wonderland. Alice felt a pang at the thought of such a place. Wonderland: such a ridiculous name for a place that supposedly truly existed. In order to diverge her thoughts, Alice began to wonder why someone would be at the door when it was so cold out and so early in the morning.

"Yes, you see I was walking by and I happened to notice that this poor fellow has been left in the snow," Alice vaguely heard a man reply. Poor fellow in the snow? What on Earth was this man talking about? Oh dear, perhaps Snowdrop or Kitty was left outside all night in the freezing cold!

"Oh, why thank you," Lorina said as she took something from the man. "Alice," Lorina called to her younger sister. As Alice slowly continued to descend the stairs, she could hear Lorina still talking the man. "I don't know how Alice's rabbit could have possibly been in the snow. I suppose it must have fallen out of the window." By this time, Alice had reached the bottom of the staircase and was now walking towards the door where her sister was. It was then that Alice was able to get a good look at the man who had mysteriously showed up at their door.

Alice's expression remained blank upon gazing at the man's face but her heart was racing with anticipation for the man looked identical to none other than Hatter! Yet, Alice felt as though there was something different about him, if this person was indeed Hatter, but Alice could not quite place what this difference was. There was something inside her that was unsure as to whether or not the person standing before her was the same man who had confessed his love to her as they fell up the rabbit hole. However, her analysis was caught short when Lorina handed her Milo.

"Alice, you are lucky this young man happened to be walking by and found your rabbit," Lorina said. "You should thank him. Oh!" Lorina remarked, momentarily stopping her reprimanding. "I'm terribly sorry: I did not even get your name."

"It's all right. My name is Reginald Raven Hatter," the man answered as he briefly removed his hat only to place it back on his head. Alice was not entirely sure if she heard him right: did he say his name was Hatter?

"Hatter?" Lorina inquired, thinking this a rather peculiar surname and confirming that Alice had indeed heard right. Yet, a part of Alice was still skeptical: a coincidence perhaps. Even if she wanted to confront this man about her suspicion, Lorina would not approve. Not to mention, if Alice was wrong and this whole episode was nothing more than childish fantasies she would risk embarrassing her sister only to be reprimanded severely later.

"Yes, you see, it is ironic because I am a hatter," Mr. Hatter replied. "I'm hoping to open up a new hat shop."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you Mr. Hatter," Lorina replied. "My name is Lorina and this is my sister Alice."

"Thank you very much Mr. Hatter," Alice interjected. "Though I _do _have a question for you, if you don't mind."

"You may ask me anything," Mr. Hatter replied.

"Why _were_ you walking in the snow?" Alice inquired. She simply could not help herself: she had to know if this truly was Hatter.

"Alice!" Lorina exclaimed, stunned her sister was asking such a rude question.

"Well, you see I am not from around here," Mr. Hatter began to answer. "But I was on my way to Cheshire-."

"So far! And on foot?" Lorina exclaimed.

"I don't believe I know what you mean," Mr. Hatter questioned, a puzzled expression present on his face.

"Cheshire is Northwest on the map while Oxford is Southeast Mr. Hatter," Alice explained though she too was quite confused by Mr. Hatter's statement. If he really was Hatter, why would he want to go to Cheshire? Would he not want to stay here in Oxford? Alice began to second guess herself: of course this was nothing but a mere coincidence because the real (or imaginary) Hatter would be hugging her right about now and pestering her with questions about her world now that he was here. But this man was different.

"Oh," Mr. Hatter replied. "I suppose I ought to get a carriage then." Gradually, Alice's hopes of Hatter being at her door were dying down: there simply was no way Hatter would know what a carriage was since she'd never seen one in Wonderland. Then again, she may have mentioned carriages to him at some point in time. Oh, this was all dreadfully confusing!

"Won't you please have some tea before you go?" Alice offered, clearly requiring more analysis of this man to see if he truly was Hatter. She wanted more than anything to believe that he really was standing in front of her but there was still doubt deep within her mind.

"Alice," Lorina was beginning to protest.

"Oh but Lorina, it would be rather rude if we did not offer him tea. After all, he has been walking in the snow for who knows how long. And he still has such a long way to go," Alice argued politely.

"But we haven't even had breakfast. Perhaps another time."

"Please, Lorina." While Lorina was still against the idea (after all, she still had to discuss the matter with their mother and father), the persistence she saw within Alice was like none other. There was a subtle hint of passion within Alice, a passion Lorina had never seen before.

"Very well," Lorina said, sighing. "You may show Mr. Hatter to the parlor while I have the maid prepare the tea. May I take your hat and coat, Mr. Hatter?" It was then Lorina and Alice realized he was not wearing a proper coat for the winter but instead a simple frock.

"That's all right. I don't wish to trouble you any further," Mr. Hatter replied. Without another word, Alice led Mr. Hatter to the parlor. She occasionally glanced back towards him, to see if perhaps he would say anything that may be a dead give away to his true identity. But there came none. This was perfectly all right for now Alice had alone time with Mr. Hatter where she would be able to possibly ask about Wonderland without Lorina knowing. Upon gazing around the parlor, Mr. Hatter drifted towards the piano that was situated in the corner of the room.

"May I?" Mr. Hatter inquired.

"Yes, of course," Alice replied. She was a bit disappointed by this: Alice expected Mr. Hatter to reveal his identity as Hatter once no one else was around...if he was Hatter of course. As she sat Milo down in a chair, music began to fill her ears: the sweetest and most foreign music she had ever heard. Alice watched as Mr. Hatter's hands moved gracefully across the keys before she boldly sat next to him on the piano seat. He did not seem to mind this and merely continued to play while Alice continued to stare at him, her gaze mostly focusing on his face. "Do you know," Alice began, "that you have a tag still present in your hat?" This was indeed true as Alice noticed a traditional tag reading "In this style 10/6".

"Yes, it's a new hat," Mr. Hatter answered, not taking his eyes off the white and black piano keys.

"Did you make it?" Alice further inquired, desperately searching for some clue or reveal from Mr. Hatter.

"Yes," Mr. Hatter replied. "And I must say: you are a very curious girl."

"Well, you are a very curious person," Alice countered. Mr. Hatter laughed a little at Alice's comment.

"Perhaps I am," he remarked, still playing all the while.

"You said you aren't from around here," Alice stated, attempting to remain as cool and collected as possible. "Have you traveled a good deal?"

"A fair amount."

"Tell me," Alice began and this she said a bit more lowly than before. "have you ever been to a place called Wonderland?" It was then that Mr. Hatter abruptly ceased his piano playing. Alice held her breath as silence filled the room so much silence that she felt the only sound was her own heart beat which was beating rapidly at the moment.

"Wonderland..." Mr. Hatter repeated as he smiled. "...is such a wonderful place."

Alice's face lit up upon hearing this and a new ray of hope filled her entire body. It was Hatter after all! There was no way a stranger would ever admit Wonderland existed.

"Hatter!" Alice exclaimed as she threw her arms around his neck. He was caught off guard by this but embraced Alice as soon as she came into contact with him. Hatter smiled as he held onto her, his one hand resting on her golden hair.

"Alice," Hatter remarked as though he could not believe she was here, with him. After all, it was quite strange to suddenly be in a completely new world that he never thought he would get to see. This entire situation was unbelievable and yet he knew it was as real as could be.

"Oh, and for a moment I thought Wonderland wasn't real," Alice confessed. Really, what a silly thing to think! Of course Wonderland is real, as real as it ever was. And it was silly to think Hatter was not really Hatter. He even said his name was Hatter! It would have been risky for Hatter to act as though he knew Alice since Lorina did not know who he was and as far as everyone else was concerned, Alice and Hatter had never met prior to today. Now it all made perfect sense to Alice as she continued to scold herself for believing Wonderland to be nothing but a fantasy.

"Wonderland not real?" Hatter questioned, confused. "It will always be real Alice so long as you believe." Alice wrapped onto his neck a bit more tightly upon Hatter telling her this. She really had been silly to think such a thing. "And I don't think you will have much trouble believing if I'm here."

"No," Alice agreed, kissing Hatter on the cheek after she said this. "I won't."

* * *

_I would just like to point out that Reginald has nothing to do with Bri-chan's fanfiction/comic When Curiosity Met Insanity (though I did read it and I did enjoy it). Alice Liddell married Reginald Hargreaves. I didn't give Hatter the same last name in order to still keep Alice Liddell separate from Lewis Carroll's Alice. Which is also why I never mention Alice's last name. But, yes, anyway, I merely wanted to point this out. Though I'm sure Bri-chan used the name Reginald for her Hatter for the very same reason. But that is merely speculation. That's pretty much it really....Thank you all once again!_


End file.
